Should Lobster Fishing Be Banned?

South of Cape Cod, lobster populations are in hot water: The struggling crustaceans' numbers have dropped from 35 million a decade ago to a mere 15 million today.

To help remedy the situation, scientists want to keep the crustaceans in the ocean and out of lobster pots. According to the Boston Globe, biologists recently recommended a five-year ban on catching lobsters located south of Cape Cod and down through the waters of Virginia. Researchers say that without the fishing ban, one of New England's three populations of lobsters could be seriously compromised, if not wiped out entirely.

The ban would apply only to lobsters located south of Cape Cod. America's two other New England lobster populations—those in the Gulf of Maine and those found in Georges Bank—are still healthy.

It's unclear why, exactly, southern New England lobsters are faring so poorly while other populations remain healthy. Scientists think that warming waters caused by climate change may leave lobsters vulnerable to disease. This kills some lobsters off and pushes others to scurry away to deeper, colder waters.

Lobstermen are naturally furious about the proposed ban, but researchers say it's the only way to give southern New England lobsters a fighting chance. And if the plights of other marine-dwelling creatures are any indication, I'd have to say I agree with the scientists. Just look at how populations of bluefin tuna, swordfish, and sharks have plummeted in recent years. Even though many environmental groups continue to call for it, fishing bans on these species still haven't been put in place. Therefore population numbers continue to dwindle. Even though southern New England lobsters' low numbers may not be due to overfishing, it's clear that we need to stop eating them in order to help the species get healthy and rebound.

Especially when it comes to seafood, consumers really have an opportunity to help control the health of our oceans by controlling what they put on their plates. We don't need to eat southern New England lobsters—there are plenty of other types of fish in the sea. And believe me, sustainable fish like Pacific halibut and Pacific cod taste just as delicious with drawn butter.

Biologists' proposed five-year lobster ban will be voted on by the American Lobster Management Board on July 22nd. Here's hoping the board rules in favor of letting the struggling lobsters be for a few years.

Photo credit: Hartmut Inerle via Wikimedia Commons