Steaming Ahead | October 2026

Where are all the lobsters? I know I said in the August issue of Landings that we would be knee deep in shedders by now, but I obviously didn’t know what I was talking about. My father once said, “You show me someone that knows what a lobster is thinking and I’ll show you someone that’s full of sh**!”

No matter the size, give those females a notch! Photo submitted by Adam Ulrickson Sr.

All I know is that we’re running out of good weather and if things don’t shape up there are going to be some sad faces around the Christmas tree this year. Lobstering runs on volume and with diesel at an all-time high and bait through the roof, were going to need some lobsters to turn 2026 into a profitable year.

Looking at a year like this makes me think of what I can do for my business to cut operating costs. Slack back on the throttle a little, maybe let my gear set an extra night or two are the best things I have come up with so far. I wanted to build my own traps this winter. I’ve always enjoyed building traps, whether it be my own or with a few friends building traps together. Either way my traps will still be well over $130 each so it looks like maybe buying some two- to three-year-old used ones might be the better route.

With the economy the way it is today and the rising cost of doing business we have to look at every little thing we can to save a little money here and there. I know some of you will read this and disagree with me and say you’re doing just fine. That’s great and I’m happy for you. And when you get ready to buy new traps this winter, give me a call when you sell your old ones (insert winking/laughing Emoji here). We need to keep our chins up and keep plugging away; better days are coming.

Summer is ending and as fall shows up it brings colder mornings and later sunrises. The days of working in a T-shirt are slowly fading, which means sweatshirts and oil jackets. Staying dry on the boat is near impossible whether you’re in the pointy end or the square end. That old, stinky, mildewed jacket you’ve had hanging in the corner is about to come back into the game.

My advice is before you need it, maybe take it home and wash it in the washing machine. Take your bibs too. Haul out a tube of 5200 and patch up the holes. You don’t want leaky skins when it gets cold. Sure, you can go buy new ones but a full set is going to run you $300 or more these days. Doing a little patching is just another way to save a little money. I mean, you wear sweatshirts with holes in them, right? Might as well complete the ensemble. Gloves you can’t patch up, however, and a good dry pair make the day better. So don’t be stingy — make sure you at least have dry hands.

I’d like to say thank you to all that helped in the Billion Egg Challenge. We didn’t reach our billion egg goal by September 25 but we came damn close. And with only 183 guys participating I’d say we did pretty well. But we are not quitters! We’re going to keep recording our notches until we get to a billion, come hell or high water.

This is a great event to have. It shines a light on lobstermen as stewards of the ocean, not to mention the fact that we legally have to notch. It’s neat to see the difference in the amount of notched lobsters along the coast. The fishermen in Southern Maine held the lead almost the entire time, but those boys from Criehaven showed the entire state how to notch some lobsters.

Dave Cousens and John Tripp were on fire. Then add Gerry Cushman from Port Clyde and you have over half of the Midcoast team’s total notches. Great job guys! The poor Downeast team, well, our run just started too late. We do the majority of our notching in the spring so next year, watch out. Now that we have the Challenge set up, we can start earlier next year. We will definitely reach our goal.

So what do you do with all those stinky notches? Don’t throw them away. We are going to have buckets at buying stations to collect them all. All those notches will be a good visual to have at a whale meeting or to take and plop on the desk of a scientist when they tell us the juvenile lobster population is in decline. Be on the lookout for a drop bucket at your wharf. If you don’t see one just give your local MLA board member a call and he’ll come pick them up (all of our numbers are on this page). We are going to have proof of what we’ve accomplished, so make sure you get those notches to us.

Keep notching, keep grinding and stay dry if you can. Fall is here and winter is right around the corner. I think Mother Nature is really going to make us earn it this year but, like my earlier prediction, I’m probably wrong.