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Faced with oversupply and a limited market, the southeastern U.S. blue crab
industry is dealing with some of the same problems as the American lobster
industry. David Green, Seafood Technology Specialist with the University of North
Carolina Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program and the Seafood Lab at North Carolina
State University, presented a seminar at the International Lobster Dealers and
Pound Owners Conference on how the blue crab industry is addressing these
problems through improved processing techniques.
Growth in the commercial blue crab industry is constrained by instability in
the processing sector. This instability results from seasonal fluctuations in
supply, dependence on limited regional markets creating an unpredictable and
volatile market price structure, and an increasing national dependence on
imported products.
For the past two years, Green has been involved in a project to develop
processing techniques to stabilize the supply of product to existing meat-based
blue crab processing plants. The goal of the project is to improve the quality,
safety, and processing efficiency of domestic blue crab processing, thereby
increasing profits for the industry.
According to Green, "The innovative processing approach we're using applies
the atmospheric steaming and cryogenic freezing process to the meat sector of the
crab industry itself. The primary product would be a frozen intermediate
(in-shell) crab that could be used to stabilize inventory and thereby working
conditions in handpicking operations." Green points out that the project would
not be possible without the support and active participation from industry.
Since the lobster and blue crab industries are facing similar problems, it
might be possible to apply the processing technologies developed in the South to
the lobster industry. The question remains whether cryogenic freezing could
provide a better quality lobster product with extended shelf life and yield.
Researchers in the University of Maine's Food Service and Animal, Veterinary, and
Aquatic Sciences Departments will be working on studies next year to develop
quality frozen lobster products.
Study to Forecast Lobster Population Trends Proposed
If everything goes as planned, researchers from Maine and Rhode Island will
cooperate on a six-year, Sea Grant-funded study to examine the relationships
between the supply of postlarval lobsters (when lobsters can still swim but are
soon capable of settling on the bottom), how many successfully settle on the
bottom (recruit) and grow to two years old, and the number landed by the fishery.
Principal investigators for the project, proposed for the 1993-94 Sea Grant
funding cycle, are Lew Incze of Maine's Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences,
Rick Wahle of Brown University in Rhode Island, and Stan Cobb of the University
of Rhode Island.
At several sites in Rhode Island and Maine, researchers will sample
postlarvae and compare their development and abundance with densities of newly
recruited early benthic phase (EBP) lobsters in cobble habitats. EBPs will be
measured from the time they settle until they are two years old. The numbers of
lobsters at each stage of development will be compared to population trends as
reflected in how many lobsters are harvested by the fishery.
This information could help explain factors that lead to increases or
declines in lobster abundance and could potentially be used to forecast trends in
the fishery.
Ed Blackmore Receives Honorary Doctorate Degree
Ed Blackmore received an honorary Doctorate degree in Humane Letters at the
University of Maine's graduation on May 9. Following is the tribute to Ed presented
by President Fred Hutchinson.
He is one of the select few Mainers who pioneered off-shore wintertime
lobstering, extending the lobster season into a year-round enterprise. Mr.
Blackmore was a founding member of the Maine Lobsterman's Association (MLA) in
1954, and served on its board of directors until 1973, when he was elected
president. As the Maine lobster industry's chief ambassador and diplomat, Mr.
Blackmore nurtured the MLA into one of the largest, most powerful and respected
professional commercial fishing organizations in the United States and Canada.
Mr. Blackmore's name is synonymous with communication and cooperation in the
fishing industry. While constantly championing the cause of lobstermen, he has
been resourceful and diplomatic in finding fair compromises when seeking
solutions to problems with potential adversaries in competing fisheries. He has
consistently supported communication and cooperation within the lobster industry.
His vision and belief in the need for research and education, and in the positive
impacts of cooperation and communication among people, led to the creation of the
Lobster Institute, an industry-supported research and education facility at the
University of Maine. Mr. Blackmore has served as Chairman of the Institute's
board of advisors since its creation in 1987. His leadership has ensured that the
interests of all North American lobstermen are served by the Institute. His
involvement has also expanded the Institute's vision and scope.
Mr. Blackmore's valuable efforts and consistent commitment have made a
lasting difference in the state of Maine and in the region. There is no other
individual who has made such a sustained and significant contribution to the
health and viability of the North American lobster resource and the industry it
supports.
Edward Blackmore, a native of Stonington, Maine, has successfully lobstered
the Maine coast for over thirty-five years.