The Last Lobster: Boom or Bust for Maine's Greatest Fishery?

by Christopher White

From the of author Skipjack & The Melting World comes a mystery: the curious boom in America's beloved lobster industry and its probable crash

Maine lobstermen have happened upon a bonanza along their rugged, picturesque coast. For the past five years, the lobster population along the coast of Maine has boomed, resulting in a lobster harvest six times the size of the record catch from the 1980s--an event unheard of in fisheries. In a detective story, scientists and fishermen explore various theories for the glut. Leading contenders are a sudden lack of predators and a recent wedge of warming waters, which may disrupt the reproductive cycle, a consequence of climate change.

Christopher White's The Last Lobster follows three lobster captains--Frank, Jason, and Julie (one the few female skippers in Maine)--as they haul and set thousands of traps. Unexpectedly, boom may turn to bust, as the captains must fight a warming ocean, volatile prices, and rough weather to keep their livelihood afloat. The three captains work longer hours, trying to make up in volume what they lack in price. As a result, there are 3 million lobster traps on the bottom of the Gulf of Maine, while Frank, Jason, and others call for a reduction of traps. This may in boost prices. The Maine lobstering towns are among the first American communities to confront global warming, and the survival of the Maine Coast depends upon their efforts.

It may be an uphill battle to create a sustainable catch as high temperatures are already displacing lobsters northward toward Canadian waters--out of reach of American fishermen. The last lobster may be just ahead.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 5, 2018

Reviews

[Damian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have spent a summer and many vacations on Bass Harbor and love watching, talking to and understanding the lobsterman. So this book appealed to me. But it didn't give me much more insight- it seems to have a few main components: discussion about climate change and warmer waters affecting the fishery, conversations w folks he met and discussions about the lobster market (prices, marketing, exports, etc.).

I found myself skipping over the dialogue and the descriptions of the mood/scenery, which were frequent. And I did like the facts but they seemed repetitive and i would have liked a few charts or tables to summarize.

I like what he did and have done some of what he has done on a much smaller scale. So we both find this work fascinating. It's just that it didn't make for compelling reading for me. Part of the reason may be the speculative nature of the story- the summary of the book calls it a detective story but it's really not and you shouldn't expect many conclusions.

[Corrie Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although White kills any suspense of what may become of the Maine lobster fishery with the title of the book, he paints a wonderful portrait of the unique lobstering culture in the coastal and non-gentrified parts of Maine. Regardless that the population often doubles in the summer, White is interested in the locals and how the town's purpose is to get lobsters from the ocean floor to the family table sustainably.

White rises before dawn to ride out with the captains, detailing their work and experiences on Jericho Bay and the waters around Stonington, Maine. The lobstermen's problems are solely about finding the lobsters - which are not hard during the boom when he visits. However, the lobstermen are cautious as they are generally concerned about the bust as well. They notice the warming of the waters and the movement of the lobsters heading north.

The tension in the book is how White continues to inform the reader of specific climate and lobstering facts (breeding water temps, shedding times and water temps, seasonal aspects of lobster movement, etc) contrasting with the mood and words from some of the stubborn or denying lobstermen to the effects of climate change and the warming waters of the oceans around them. White elaborates of "The Tragedy of the Commons" and other pitfalls of the fishery which are very interesting and noteworthy. Not to mention the recent interest of China and the export dollars they bring to the fishery. There are many specific details about lobstering and this industry in Maine that makes this a worthwhile book to read. Sadly, I fear that The Last Lobster will need an updated Epilogue soon for that is when the changes are coming to the Maine fisheries.

[Jeff · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was perhaps one of the worst I've read in a long time.

While White's description of the people of Stonington and the lobster industry was charming, a very serious concern was raised by the text on page 50 (first edition).

Taking place in 2015, at Fisherman's Day in Stonington, White recounts a humorous exchange between lobsterman-photographer Julie Eaton and a tourist from New York, which underscores the fact that Julie is a lobsterman first, photographer second, with the punchline centered around the f-stop.

I looked up Julie Eaton online and found an article about her and her photography in the Fisherman's Voice, a newspaper for commercial fishermen. The article was entitled "Julie Eaton, Lobsterman/Photographer".

At the opening of Julie's first gallery exhibition of her photography, a potential buyer asked Julie about the f-stop. The same punchline, and nearly the word-for-word dialogue was used. They were essentially the same story, with slightly different details. But the article appeared in the July, 2010 issue of Fisherman's Voice, five years BEFORE the time of White's version, and eight years before White's was published.

No attribution to the Fisherman's Voice, nor the author of the article, Brenda Tredwell, could be found in White's book. This, of course, brings into question EVERY interaction White shares in his book. Was he there? Did it even happen? His narrative, though skillfully written, fell flat once this discovery was made.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This summer I went up to Maine for a week for my first visit to the state in something like forty years, and since I was staying on coast, I picked this up to try and get a little flavor of the state. As it happens, I didn't read it until after returning home, and so I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the author's base for his research was the same town (Stonington) I had just spent a week in.

Part of the book is a deep dive into the the state of lobster fishing in Maine (and elsewhere) and the various forces at play, such as massive demand from China, climate change, ocean oxygen levels, fishing co-ops and unions, traditional "family" fishing areas, vertically integrated supply chains, and more. It's also a portrait of the people who work as lobstermen in the heart of lobster country (for now), who ride the boom or bust waves of lobster season and market prices.

It was all interesting enough, but somewhat repetitive. The throughline is that lobster harvests and prices fluctuate quite a bit and lobstermen seem to feel like they're always getting a raw deal and most of them have no time for egg-head scientists studying fisheries. What does seem pretty clear is that disruptions to the ecosystem will only continue as the water warms, driving lobsters further north each year. and that very few of the people the author spends so much time with are willing to face up to that future. Ultimately, a good long-form magazine article would have been just as informative and colorful.

[Steve Majerus-Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I learned a lot about lobstering in Maine from this book, which is a helpful thing for someone who lives in the Pine Tree State. I admired Christopher White's ability to get out there on the water with a few of the hearty souls who haul traps most every day. He showed us what their life is like, at least when they're working, which is often. White also put the industry in context, both as part of the economy and part of the changing climate that threatens its future. All of it was written well and clearly. But I left it with a vague dissatisfaction, wondering in part whether he ever answered the question posed in his title. I wanted to be able to look ahead but really couldn't. Someday, it's clear that lobstering will be a Canadian endeavor unless we find a way to stop heating up the planet. At the moment, prospects for that don't look too good. The bottom line is that White left me wanting more, which is good for a series or a serial, but not so much for a non-fiction look at something happening now.

[Hubert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Appealed to me because if the location and subject matter but left with the feeling this could have been a 6 page article in one of the monthly magazines. Just not that much new information. Maybe for someone who is totally new to Maine it would be different...I appreciate the effort, would have loved to see more naval history & lobsterman history...

[Susan Neuwirth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave up on the lobster book half way through. Not that I didn’t like it and thought it was interesting but I guess once I left Maine I lost interest. Loved the stories of the lobstermen/women families and all that went on in Stoneington but the story got bogged down with too much lobster science for me. Maybe I’ll pick it up next year and finish it if we go back to Maine.

[Jenny Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully rich book about Maine fishing and the tapestry of people and lifestyles that thread together this beautiful part of the country and the people in it. Part science, part anthropology, part sociology, and part a study of people and place, Christopher truly becomes part of the community he writes about and I had the joy of traveling right alongside him. A great read!

[Bert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know a lot of these fishermen. I think White is on the right track when it comes to the sustainability of the industry.

[María Dabrowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would give 3.5. I learned a lot about lobster, and the intricacies of the community. I liked the focus on climate change and ocean acidification at the end.