Lobster Tagging Has a Long History

Scientists have tried many different methods to understand the movement of lobsters in the Gulf of Maine. The issue, of course, is that lobsters molt. How can one keep track of a creature that sheds its skin every year or so?

Early tagging efforts were fairly simple. In 1873 the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries researchers tagged and released lobsters near Woods Hole, Massachusetts, to learn about migration patterns. They attached metal or brass bands to claws or the lobster’s carapaces and set them loose. Local lobstermen were asked to report the lobster if it came up in a trap. Most of the lobsters were recaptured relatively close to Woods Hole, but some recovered had traveled long distances, sometimes over 100 miles.

Tagging studies became more frequent in the middle of the century. In those years researchers used vinyl streamer tags or discs anchored onto the lobster’s carapace as tags. The studies suggested that there were seasonal migrations inshore and offshore, especially in southern New England. In certain areas the lobsters pretty much stayed put, moving not more than 5 to 10 miles in a year.

By the end of the century, tagging had become a standard tool for studying lobster populations in Maine, Massachusetts, and Canada. Researchers used “dart” tags and numbered plastic disks on an increased number of lobsters throughout the Gulf. Large-scale cooperative programs with lobstermen helped gather data on growth, survival, and migration patterns.

Today traditional tags are still used while new technologies have emerged. Acoustic transmitters are implanted in lobsters; the lobsters can be tracked via underwater receivers which gives researchers more precise data on movement. Some lobsters are tagged with archival data loggers, which are small devices that record depth, temperature, and light. Scientists also use DNA to better recognize population genetics and how different populations of lobsters in the Gulf relate to each other.

It’s clear that understanding the pathways lobsters' movements has been a longstanding interest of both scientists and lobstermen alike.