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On October 29-31, 1993, lobster industry members from Newfoundland to New
Jersey will meet in Portland, Maine for the International Lobster Industry
Congress and Trade Show. Billed as "a grand gathering of the clan," the event is
being organized by a steering committee of harvesters, dealers, pound owners,
industry suppliers, promoters, and scientists from throughout the North Atlantic
region.
For many years, the lobster industry has recognized the need for a lobster
specific conference. With a growing worldwide seafood market and increasing
competition, sophisticated telecommunications systems, resource management and
conservation concerns, and environmental issues, it is now more important than
ever for lobster industry members on both sides of the border to talk to each
other, share information, try to understand each others problems, work together
for common solutions, and forge new opportunities for the entire North Atlantic
lobster industry.
Although the steering committee will be responsible for the final agenda of
the the Congress, the event will be modelled after the Maine Fishermen's Forum
with educational seminars, industry association meetings, and scientific
workshops. Invited presentations could include speakers from the Scottish lobster
industry or the Australian fishery, and from the retailer/restaurant sector such
as Red Lobster and the Winn Dixie supermarket chain.
Besides the educational components of the Congress, there will also be a
trade show focusing exclusively on lobster gear. Other preliminary plans include
a "red tie" lobster formal banquet (and ball) where industry awards and youth
scholarsips will be presented, a chef's lobster cooking competition, children's
activities, and shopping/sightseeing tours.
Portland was chosen for the Congress because it is centrally located, easily
accessible by air and ferry services, has a block of hotels and a civic center
all within walking distance, many great restaurants, and lots to do.
Ed Blackmore, chairman of the University of Maine's Lobster Institute board
of advisors, is heading up the effort to plan the event with support from Belinda
Doliber, coordinator of the Maine Fishermen's Forum since 1990.
The First International Lobster Industry Congress and Trade Show promises to
be a real extravaganza. Mark the date on your calendar now!
Lobster Research Faces Problems
One of the biggest problems researchers face in trying to find cures for
shell disease and ciliated protozoans is their inability to infect lobsters with
these diseases. After lobsters have the disease, then researchers can conduct
controlled experiments to find potential cures. Last summer Deanna
Prince, a graduate student in Animal, Veterinary, and Aquatic Sciences at the
University of Maine (UM), used sandpaper to remove the outer layer (epicuticle)
of lobster shells. This technique should have allowed disease-causing bacteria to
enter the shell. However, immediately after the shells were sanded, the lobster
produced a dark brown melanin substance which covered the wound and prevented
bacteria from entering the shell and infecting the lobster.
Mike Loughlin, another graduate student at UM, has been infecting lobsters
with ciliated protozoans. After the lobster has been injected with the
disease-causing organisms, it takes three weeks to three months for the animal to
exhibit the disease. Since the disease is difficult to transmit artificially,
researchers will continue to search for the conditions in nature that allow the
disease to be transmitted from one lobster to another.
Yet Another Disease
Researchers have recently found a pathogenic Vibrio bacterium in several
pounds in Canada and cars in Maine that also causes disease in lobsters.
However, UM scientists discovered that Vibrio can be controlled by
Terramycin, an antibiotic found in medicated feed. Therefore, lobsters in pounds
that are fed a medicated diet do not seem to contract the disease.
Data relating postlarval abundance to EBP recruits has already been collected
for three years in Rhode Island and four years in Maine. If researchers receive
funding for their six-year study, they will have data for 10 years that could
potentially be used to forecast lobster population trends in two environmentally
distinct regions. Although Rhode Island and Maine have different temperatures and
coastal geology, both have large lobster populations and productive lobster
fisheries.