Lobster Night at Aroma Thyme Bistro, Hudson Valley Restaurants

Every Monday Aroma Thyme Bistro features Maine Lobster Night. Our full menu is available plus this lobster special. Aroma Thyme also offers other great seafood like Alaskan Salmon, Mahi-Mahi, Albacore Tuna and other sustainable seafood.

Lobster Management in Maine

It’s no accident that Maine is one of the most successful lobster fisheries in the world.

Ours is a great example of government and private sector cooperation as the state of Maine and its lobster harvesters share management responsibilities. An elected council of fishermen determine best harvest practices and governs each of seven zones established along our rocky coastline. Zone councils determine the maximum number of traps each license holder is permitted to fish, the number of traps that may be fished on a single line, as well as the maximum number of fishermen in their zone.

This “zoned” approach to lobstering helps ensure the continued health of the resource by taking local differences into account.

Meet the Authentic Maine lobster, Homarus Americanus.

If it's not Homarus, it's not true lobster. Rock lobster, spiny lobster, slipper lobster, Caribbean lobster—all of them are merely wannabes, riding on the fame of the authentic Maine lobster, Homarus americanus.

You can recognize members of the Homarus genus—true lobsters—by their five sets of legs, including a pair of large, meat-filled claws.

Marine scientists have identified many species of Homarus but only two of commercial importance: H. americanus, found most plentifully in the Gulf of Maine; and H. gammarus, the European lobster, found along the western European coast.

The warm-water crustaceans known as spiny or rock lobsters—found off the coast of Florida, southern California and the Caribbean—have no claws and thus no delectable claw meat. Their edible meat comes only from their tail.

Lobster Sustainability

Maine Lobster harvesters know that by protecting the Maine Lobster resource today, they are protecting their livelihood and this valued ecosystem for tomorrow. You can feel good about Maine Lobster, knowing that you are enjoying high quality seafood from a well-managed, sustainable, pristine marine resource. The Maine Lobster industry is the model of a well-managed fishery -- ensuring that both the lobster resource and the environment are protected for generations to come.

Maine harvesters have been environmentally conscious and "eco-friendly" since long before it became fashionable. They harvest their lobsters the same careful way they have for over 100 years -- by hand, one trap at a time -- thus protecting the quality of their product and the marine environment. Some rules and regulations that help ensure the health of the lobster resource include:

Tail Notching: Female lobsters with visible eggs cannot be harvested. Before releasing her, the harvester notches her tail to identify her as a good breeder, thus protecting her for life from being harvested.

Minimum Size Limit: Minimum 3 1/4" carapace measurements allow juvenile lobsters the chance to mature and reproduce before they can be harvested.

Maximum Size Limit: Maximum 5" carapace measurements protect the large, healthy breeding stock.

Apprentice Program: New harvesters must apprentice with veterans to learn the regulated, sustainable practices.

Trap Limits: The total number of traps per harvester is limited by both the state and the individual lobster zones.

Harvest Method: Harvesting in Maine is by trap only -- no dragging or diving is allowed. Traps include escape vents for under size lobsters as well as biodegradable escape hatches to free lobsters in lost traps.

Lobster Seed Fund: Supported by license fees, the Fund purchases females that extrude their eggs after being harvested. This unique buy-back program helps to ensure that the good breeding stock is returned to the ocean to reproduce.

Source: Maine Lobster Council