What do lobsters and spring have in common?

They’re a little late this year.

The shedders are not crawling into the lobster traps as usual, a good source at a local pound tells me. That’s why, for example, we got hard shells last weekend at Sprague’s in Wiscasset.  Usuallly, in spring, we’re eating the crustaceans which have grown out of their shells to grow new ones. Aficionados say the shedders’ taste is sweeter. Your fingernail is the only tool you need to pry out the meat.

Why is the molting of the lobsters occurring later this year? Blame it on the ocean temperature. According to the Maine Lobstermens’ Community Alliance, colder water slows down the calcification that has to go on to help the molted lobster regrow its shell. According to NOAA, the average sea temperature in Ogunquit is 55 degrees - just what it is now.

Bottom line … my lobster guy says i may be mid-July before Lobster season has begun.