Gone Lobsterin'

Last week one of the local actors took myself and some coworkers out on his lobster boat!

I've always been a fan of seafood in general, but have never gotten this close to it before. My grandparents and I have a tradition of going to Red Lobster when we are together, but this far exceeded my past experiences.

Ray and his lovely wife, Ellen, took us out on their boat to check traps. If you are a resident of the state of Maine, you can apply for a non-commercial lobstering license, which gives you permission to use up to five traps for personal consumption. Because they can't sell their haul, they eat as much as possible and give the rest away to friends and family. (We were okay with taking some off of their hands.)

Lobsters are caught in rectangular, wire cages called "ghost traps," because the lobsters have the option of swimming in or out. The cages are baited with herring, and most lobster like to hang out where the food is. If there is no more bait, they have the option of leaving and finding an alternate food source. Our friendly lobsterman checks his cages every 2-3 days; hauling this big cage 30 feet out of the water. Some cages had nothing, others had a few lobster, hermit crabs, and other sea life. We are past the peak season.

The lobsters must reach a certain size to legally haul. If they are undersize, they get thrown back to sea. If they are breeding females with eggs on their tails, which looks a lot like caviar, their tails are marked and they are thrown back. It can take up to seven years for a lobster to mature!

It was a very educational and beautiful day on the water. Ray gave us 10 lobsters between the three of us, and we went home to make a mini-feast for our coworkers. We each snagged a steamed lobster, and made the rest into a lobster bisque to share.

In case you've been wondering, this is what a refrigerator looks like overflowing with lobsters. You are welcome.