The LOBSTER INSTITUTE is a cooperative program of research and education with the lobster industry at the University of Maine. Information generated through the Institute about the American lobster (Homarus americanus) is intended to help conserve and enhance the resource, thereby ensuring the continuance of a strong and healthy industry in the state and the region.

As part of the University of Maine's Research and Public Service efforts, the Lobster Institute is located on the Orono campus. This location is central to the resource as well as the region served by the Institute, which includes the northeastern coastal states and the Maritime provinces of Canada. The University provides an open, objective setting for the free exchange of ideas by all those interested in the lobster resource and industry.

The LOBSTER INSTITUTE identifies practical problems of concern to the industry and seeks solutions to these problems. Some solutions may be found through quick-response projects, while others require long-term research programs. By indentifying the research priorities of the industry and providing industry assistance to researchers, the Institute links industry expertise with academic resources to promote a better understanding of the lobster and our impact on it.

Some research priorities of the Institute are projects on:

• Lobster ecology, biology, behavior, and population dynamics
• Larval/juvenile lobster densities, recruitment, and habitat
• Health and Disease
• Hatch and release/enhancement
• Marketing and economics
• New product development

Other research projects have included: V-notch surveys, claw band testing, ghost trap fishing impacts, lobster/fish farm interactions, genetics, industry opinion survey, taste tests on meat, and artificial bait.

The information generated through Institute-sponsored research programs is communicated freely in a variety of ways including outreach education conducted by faculty, students and industry members, as well as conferences, seminars, and workshops.

The Institute is primarily funded by contributions from the industry itself, and through private donations by friends of the industry. Other funds and services are provided by the University of Maine, research granting agencies and institutions, and private foundations.

The Lobster Institute offers a wide range of educational programs.These include seminar programs and workshops for industry members and scientists throughout the region. The Institute also has an extensive lobster library with nearly 400 journal articles, research reports, and informational pamphlets about lobsters.

An industry exchange scholarship program has been established through the Institute which provides opportunities for industry members to visit other regions, states, provinces and countries to encourage communication, understanding, and cooperation among industry factions.

The Lobster Institute seeks to serve the region's lobster industry, and to provide its friends in the general public, who are interested in the industry and its future, with programs and information that are both timely and meaningful. If you are interested in learning more about the Lobster Institute and how you can support its goals and programs, or if you are seeking information about particular areas of interest, please feel free to contact us with the information provided on our address page.