With black sea bass moving north to New England due to warming coastal waters, some fishers are concerned that lobster may face a new threat.
Sea bass prey on lobsters, and with lobster being a more traditional and economic choice in New England, some fishers say the best solution to prevent considerable disruption to the cherished shellfish stock is to ease catch restrictions on the new fish in town.
“What we need is a major increase in the allowable catch, both commercially and recreationally, because black sea bass are wiping out your lobsters," said Marc Hoffman, a Long Island, New York, recreational bass fisherman, to the Associated Press.
A fixture on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission advisory panel for sea bass, Hoffman claims that the time to up the quota on sea bass is long overdue. Especially for lobstermen operating out of Southern New England waters – which have seen significant, record drops in lobster populations recently – a potential quota hike could have a major impact.
More research is needed to determine just how pervasive the sea bass population in New England has become, said scientists working for the commission. Kirby Rootes-Murdy, the Atlantic States coordinator for black sea bass, noted to AP that appearances indicate the species is moving north. However, no study on the movements and population status of black sea bass in New England has been attempted since 2008.
Approximately a quarter of the black sea bass caught commercially in 2013 came from New England, reports AP; according to federal records, the commercial worth of the fish was upwards of USD 8.5 million (EUR 7.6 million) that same year. In 2013, lobster was valued at USD 460 million (EUR 411 million) even though catch in southern New England for the species was low, mostly attributable to environmental factors, said the commission.
"We never used to see black sea bass. Occasionally, you'd see one in a trap," said William Adler, a Marshfield, Massachusetts, lobsterman who sits on interstate boards for lobster and bass to AP, noting further that raising the black sea bass quota could "save some of the lobster stock."
Maine has established a commercial fishery for black sea bass, with New Hampshire considering the possibility.
Rick Wahle, a marine science researcher at the University of Maine who studied lobsters, agreed that growing black sea bass numbers could threaten lobster stocks, taking over where the lobster’s last nemesis, the Atlantic cod, left off. Of course, the new fish predator isn’t the only thing lobstermen have to worry about regarding threats to their catch – Wahle said to AP that warming waters bring a lot of issues for the species, including shell disease.
