Uncertain Waters
After Three Decades Maine's Lobster Boom May Be Reaching Its End
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Yvonne "Beba" Rosen rows to her ship in Carvers Harbor accompanied by her sternman, Ruby Hopkins. One of the few female fishermen on the island, Rosen has been lobstering for 15 years and has captained her own ship for the past 11.
For the past 30 years the American lobster population in the Gulf of Maine has grown by an estimated 515%. Several factors have been credited with creating this boom: the state's strict conservation and fishing regulations that limit the acceptable catch size and prevent fishermen from catching egg-bearing females; the overfishing of cod, which are one of the lobster's key predators; along with rising water temperatures, which has decimated the industry in southern New England, but has made the colder waters in the Gulf of Maine even more optimal for juvenile lobsters.
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Bob Jackomino stacks a trap as his brother, Anthony Jackomino, prepares bait while hauling lobster offshore of Vinalhaven. Jackomino has been fishing for the past 25 years and believes the increase in lobster is due to the state's conservation efforts and regulations.
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The F/V Luke William returns to Carvers Harbor after hauling lobster in the waters surrounding Vinalhaven. A working fishing island, more than half the year-round residents actively fish the island.
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A map of Vinalhaven is seen on the side of a ferry while making the trip from Rockland to Vinalhaven. Two ferries operate between the mainland and Vinalhaven. The 15 mile crossing takes about an hour and 15 minutes.
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Philip Hopkins takes a break from painting his boat. Phil has been captaining his own boat since he was in high school while he worked as a sternman on other boats.
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A seal, referred to as Bruno, pops his head out of the waters of Carvers Harbor. Bruno is known to frequent the harbor in hopes of receiving a fish or two from one of the local fishermen. Seals have long had a contentious relationship with fishermen, some of whom see them as competition.
One of the places where the glut has been felt the most is the community of Vinalhaven. Located about 12 miles off Maine's coast in Penobscot Bay, the island holds the majority of fishing rights to the bay and more than half its year-round residents fish its waters. With roughly 80% of domestic lobster landings ocurring in Maine's coastal communities, fishermen have become increasingly reliant on the crustaceans, which have become the most valuable single-species fishery in North America.
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Ruby Hopkins prepares a bait bag while heading out to haul from Carvers Harbor. Hopkins, whose family owns the island's boatyard, is on her second year working as a sternman for Yvonne "Beba" Rosen. "She's the closest person I could find to myself," Rosen said. Many of the island's captains noted how difficult it can be to find reliable crew with drug and alcohol abuse widespread in the industry.
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Yvonne "Beba" Rosen sorts lobsters alongside her sternman, Ruby Hopkinsin while fishing outside Vinalhaven.
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Yvonne "Beba" Rosen steers her way through thick fog out of Carvers Harbor. While record numbers of lobster have been caught over the past three decades, smaller boat captains have been having a difficult season this year, which started later than usual; leaving some to wonder how long the boom will last.
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Richard "Gweeka" Williams takes a break from repairing his boat in anticipation of the Stonington Lobster Boat Races at the Hopkins Boatyard. Gweeka is wary of the changes he's seen on the island as the influx of summer residents continues to rise on the fishing island.
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Mike Martin and Jeremy Robinshaw load a truck with crates of lobster at Bean Maine Lobster. The truck travels between Vinalhaven and Rockland and carries inventory for many of the island's stores.
These communities' almost exclusive dependence on the lobster fishery leaves them vulnerable as the waters in the Gulf of Maine continue to warm. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last year predicted a 40-62% decrease in the gulf's lobster population over the next 30 years, relative to 2015 numbers. While the study notes that the state's conservation practices could alleviate the impact and avoid a collapse – like the one in southern New England – the impact could still be significant.
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Kevin Hopkins moves a support at his boatyard. Hopkins and his brother inherited the business from their father and maintain much of the island's fleet of fishing vessels.
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Hollis Hopkins poses for a portrait inside the boatyard's shop.
Image load failed!Light filters in the shop at the Hopkins Boatyard.
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A man walks to his vehicle outside of the island's convenience store, Fishermen's Friend.
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Sigvard Beckmann sits on the back of his truck while repairing a fishing net for his son outside his home.
Image load failed!While Sig never finished school, he says with deserved pride that through fishing he's been able purchase a home, several trucks and still have money stashed away in his bank account.
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Yvonne "Beba" Rosen stacks lobster traps alongside her sternman, Ruby Hopkins, outside her home. With lobster catches dropping off, many of the island's fishermen are beginning to bring up their traps for the winter.
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Frank Thompson checks the position of his traps on a chartplotter while hauling lobster offshore. Thompson comes from a longtime fishing family and has been lobstering for most of his life. He has two other boats that are captained by his sons and plans to add a fourth soon. An IAM Maine Lobstering Union Local 207 member since its formation, Thompson serves as Vinalhaven's only union lobster buyer and is proud to claim he'll pay the best price on the island.
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The F/V Hurry Sundown heads to haul from Carver's Harbor.
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