The Lobster Family

We all know why Maine lobster is titled the True American Lobster, but what about their relatives in the south?

Warm water lobsters, also called spiny or rock lobsters, can be found in tropical waters near the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Asia, or even the coast of Florida or Southern California. The
warm water lobster differs from the Maine lobster in that it does not have claws, but instead two large spiny antennae. The only edible meat on a warm water lobster is in its tail, which tends to be about 33% of its body weight!

Warm water lobster is the biggest food export in the Bahamas, and is the world’s source for frozen or canned lobster. Although similar in size and look, the warm water lobster and the Maine lobster are actually from a different class, and with over 40 species in the world this is
easy to believe!

The Beauty of Bait

Here is a picture of the bait used to lure lobsters into the Crate to Plate traps. The bait used by Captain Dan can be anything from Herring to Rock Fish or Red fish to Hoagies. Every trap is filled with a bag of bait and then replaced with new bait after it has been hauled.

The tote that you see in this picture holds about 200 lbs. of bait. Captain Dan and his crew go through 6 or 7 totes of bait on each fishing excursion. That’s around 1000 lbs. a day!

Want to join Captain Dan and the Fisher Girl for a sail? Contact Crate to Plate to plan your own fishing adventure!

Pick Up a Live Lobster (And Live to Tell the Tale)

Want to pick up your live lobster? Here’s how!

Very quickly place one hand around the sides of the lobster’s middle, right below the claws. With the other hand, push the lobster’s claws from the bottom so that they are straight against its head. Re-adjust your grip so that you are holding both claws and the body. With its claws against its head the lobster can no long move to grip or pinch.

The lobster may start flapping its tail or thrashing after our first touch, just be aware of the claws and make sure to move quickly. Now that you are ready, pick up some Crate to Plate lobsters today!

What Size is Your Lobster?

Maine lobstermen have been harvesting lobster in the same environmentally conscious way for over 100 years. These practices include “V-notching” female lobsters as well as setting a size limit for harvested lobsters.

Maine’s lobster size limit is 3 ¼ lbs. so as to allow all juveniles time to mature and reproduce before they are harvested. Every lobster caught is measured to ensure the survival of our favorite red friend.

Lobsters are measured based on the size of their carapace, the hard shell segment between the tail and the head. Lobstermen place a metal gauge at the lobster’s eye socket down the carapace. If the lobster’s carapace does not fit between the jaws of the gauge, then the lobster must be thrown back.

Lobsters can also be too small to be caught as well. Lobsters too small to harvest are called shorts. Lobster lovers in Maine typically dine on 1, 1 ¼, and 1 ½ lb. crustaceans!

Preserving Our Favorite Red Friend

In our previous post on sexing lobsters, we mentioned that female meat is considered sweeter, but it turns out that it is also rarer to find on our dinner table. Here’s why!

In order to preserve the lobster population, Maine lobstermen have adopted environmentally friendly fishing practices spanning back over 100 years. These regulations require that all reproducing females must be returned to the ocean after being caught.

In order to ensure that these reproducing lobsters remain safe, Maine lobstermen use what is called “V-notching” to mark the females. If a lobsterman catches a berried lobster (a female lobster with eggs under her tail), they must cut a small “v” on the lobster’s tail on the second flipper from the right. By V-notching this female, the lobster is forever safe from being caught. Any lobsterman who catches a notched lobster must throw her back even if she is not carrying eggs at the time. This practice ensures the continuation of our favorite lobster friend!

Want to brush up on your lobster lingo? Check out our post on lobster terms used by real lobstermen!

Captain Dan’s Catch

When he’s not busy getting lobsters ready for Crate to Plate clients, Captain Dan is fishing around West Penobscot Bay’s many inlets and islands.

So where does he sell his daily catch? Besides his Crate to Plate traps and direct sales, most of Captain Dan’s lobsters are sold locally. This means that you can find Captain Dan’s lobsters in Lincolnville, Islesboro, and Rockland. You can also find Captain Dan’s lobsters at Natalie’s restaurant in the Camden Harbour Inn!

For more information on

Crate to Plate's Local Catch

Want to know where your Crate to Plate lobsters come from?

Captain Dan and the Fisher Girl sail out of Saturday Cove in Northport, one of the many small inlets that make up West Penobscot Bay. Crate to Plate lobsters come from traps placed along the coast stretching from Lincolnville to Bayside. Coast dwellers may see the Fisher Girl near Islesboro’s ferry dock, at Lincolnville beach, or even as far north as Searsport.

While fishing, Captain Dan sails around many of the islands littering the Maine coast including Flat Island, Seal Island, and Ram Island— all bordering Islesboro’s shore.

Meet Captain Dan!

Crate to Plate may have begun in November 2009, but Captain Dan’s relationship with our lobster friend actually began in 1994.

A long time ocean lover, Captain Dan has been sailing since 1979. After graduating from college, Dan moved to Florida to start work in the corporate world. Six years later, Dan got his Captain’s license and began sailing around the world delivering and servicing yachts.

On a routine sail to deliver a boat, Captain Dan ended in up in Maine. Upon seeing the state’s beauty and possibilities, he decided to stay in Vacationland to discover the Midcoast’s rocky beaches, island speckled coast line, and its most famous export—lobster.

Deciding it was time for a career change; Captain Dan embraced his new state’s specialty and began lobster fishing in 1994. A self-taught fisherman, Captain Dan steadily grew his business to include over 800 traps located around the Northport coast.

Today Crate to Plate offers customers a full lobster experience including boat tours for those who would like to learn Captain Dan’s famous trade or the harvest of one of his many traps. Check out the Crate to Plate site for more information on Captain Dan and his lobster friends!

Lobstering with Captain Dan

We have had an unbelievable summer. The weather has been consistently sunny and in the 80’s since May. It’s been so good we didn’t have our normal fifth season, mud, this year. Whether it has been the long hot days, the calm seas or a secret of Mother Nature our catch has been very good. We normally throw back as many as we keep. Not this year; for the most part there were consistent catches of 5 – 6 lobsters in each trap, most averaging 1 ¼ to 1 ½ lbs per lobster. Now we did see a brief slow down with the approach of hurricanes Earl and Igor. But the threats were more than the impact and the lobsters are returning.

It is important to note at Crate to Plate your catch is lobsters not pounds. A half season harvest of 20 – 30 lobsters is 30 to 45 pounds. That is a party. So come see us. Fall may be upon us, but it is still a great time to put on your boots, roll up your sleeves and join Captain Dan on the Fisher Girl. There is nothing like the first hand experience of hauling up a trap. Come see how lobster are caught and more importantly sustained.

Image by Annie Higbee of imagewright, on behalf of Meandering Maine.