A ‘Whole Way of Life’ at Risk as Warming Waters Change Maine’s Lobster Fishing
November 9, 2023 | 1 min to read
Lobsterwoman Krista Tripp observes significant changes in the coastal waters of Maine, with her submersible thermometer confirming rising temperatures. Alongside warmer waters, heavy rainfall is decreasing ocean salinity, resulting in the appearance of non-native species. “You can tell the water’s changing, and we’re getting new species,” Tripp notes, as fishermen increasingly encounter tropical fish that they've never seen before, prompting inquiries on social media about the unfamiliar catches.
ABOARD THE FISHING VESSEL SHEARWATER ‒ Lobsterwoman Krista Tripp doesn’t need a scientist to tell her the normally cold waters off the coast of Maine are warming. The submersible thermometer she takes on every fishing trip proves that.
But it’s not just the warmer water that’s changing fishing here on the rocky coast of northern New England. Heavy rains are lowering the ocean’s salinity. And warm-water fish that don’t belong keep showing up.
“You can tell the water’s changing, and we’re getting new species,” says Tripp, 38. “People are posting fish they catch on Facebook and asking ‘What’s this?’ And they’re tropical fish.'”
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