Maine lobster industry blames global warming — as opposed to more likely over-harvesting — for population crash

The Associated Press reports:

A group representing lobster, tourism, conservation and environmental interests said Tuesday they’re launching a campaign to raise public awareness about climate change they say is threatening Maine’s lobster population.

In a press conference on the Portland waterfront, lobster industry advocates said carbon pollution from power plants, cars and elsewhere is warming up and acidifying waters in the Gulf of Maine…

Gulf of Maine ocean temperatures have been rising faster since 2004, said Rick Wahle, a research professor at the Darling Marine Center. The southern New England lobster population has virtually collapsed over the past 15 years, in part because of warmer waters, he said.

Read more…

These folks seem to think that over-harvesting is the problem:

Recently, there have been both state and federal government attempts to avert potential disaster by introducing various regulations to sustain the fishery. However, lobster fishermen mostly disagree with the scientists, and indicate government interaction is neither welcome, nor needed. Even if lobstermen did agree, they still have an incentive to harvest as much of this common-property resource as possible before someone else does. The lack of effective policy regarding the lobster fishery could potentially lead to the commercial extinction of lobsters, having serious economic and social consequences for Maine lobster fishermen.