Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
May 23, 2025 - Lobster predators, like black sea bass and blue crabs, have expanded their range into the Gulf of Maine. What other predators now pose a threat to juvenile lobster and what does this mean for their survival in a changing climate?
Lobster predation is an important factor in understanding trends in lobster populations and the lobster industry and is the focus of a one-hour virtual briefing for journalists on Fri., May 23, 2025. The briefing is sponsored by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Sea Grant program (https://seagrant.whoi.edu) as part of a broader effort to share research findings from the National Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative (ALI).
The featured speakers and their projects are:
* Rebecca Peters, Maine Department of Marine Resources: Which species are feeding on young American lobsters?
Seven fish species in the Gulf of Maine were dissected to understand what percentage of their diet lobster make up and to gain insight into juvenile lobster survival.
* Jon Grabowski, Northeastern University: Predator species range expansion.
Black sea bass and blue crab- typically found in Southern New England- have been recorded eating juvenile lobster in the Gulf of Maine. How is the influx of these species impacting the survival and behavior of juvenile lobsters?
* Bart DiFiore, Gulf of Maine Research Institute: How predators may influence future distribution and abundance of American lobsters.
Scientists are exploring how juvenile lobsters’ interactions with twelve different predators may vary under certain climate change scenarios.
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
May 23, 2025 - Lobster predators, like black sea bass and blue crabs, have expanded their range into the Gulf of Maine. What other predators now pose a threat to juvenile lobster and what does this mean for their survival in a changing climate?
Lobster predation is an important factor in understanding trends in lobster populations and the lobster industry and is the focus of a one-hour virtual briefing for journalists on Fri., May 23, 2025. The briefing is sponsored by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Sea Grant program (https://seagrant.whoi.edu) as part of a broader effort to share research findings from the National Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative (ALI).
The featured speakers and their projects are:
* Rebecca Peters, Maine Department of Marine Resources: Which species are feeding on young American lobsters?
Seven fish species in the Gulf of Maine were dissected to understand what percentage of their diet lobster make up and to gain insight into juvenile lobster survival.
* Jon Grabowski, Northeastern University: Predator species range expansion.
Black sea bass and blue crab- typically found in Southern New England- have been recorded eating juvenile lobster in the Gulf of Maine. How is the influx of these species impacting the survival and behavior of juvenile lobsters?
* Bart DiFiore, Gulf of Maine Research Institute: How predators may influence future distribution and abundance of American lobsters.
Scientists are exploring how juvenile lobsters’ interactions with twelve different predators may vary under certain climate change scenarios.
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
