PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Scientists who study the warming of the ocean say conservation practices have allowed northern New England’s lobster industry to thrive in the face of environmental changes.
The lobster fishery is the backbone of Maine’s economy. Business has been booming off Maine in recent years, though it has plummeted in the waters off southern New England. Meanwhile, the ocean temperatures have risen in both areas.
Scientists led by researchers at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland say differences in conservation practices have contributed to record hauls off of Maine and population collapse just a few hundred miles south. Their findings were published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The researchers used computer models to simulate ecosystems where lobsters live under different conditions.
