Lulu

If you ever find yourself in Bar Harbor on a nice day, and have a few hours to kill... go for a ride with Captain John on the (modified for passengers) Lulu.  Here's a link to learn more about their schedule, rates, etc.  Lulu Tours ..  Try it, you'll like it!  As a matter of fact, this was our #1 most favorite paid attraction in Maine to date.  If you were able to go to a dictionary and look up the definition of "an ambassador to the Maine Lobster Industry"  - you'd see a picture of Captain John.

The standard tour takes you out of Bar Harbor from the Public pier, through the breakwater, and a few miles out to Egg Island and the Egg Island Light.  You will spend some time viewing bald eagles, puffins, several species of gulls, and the main attraction, harbor seals.  The captain gives the island and the wildlife a wide berth.

The rocky shore is lined with harbor seals and their pups.  Once again, I am hoping for a little better digital camera for Christmas (that's a link to the one hint hint).  In this picture you can actually see some of the harbor seals hangin' out on the rocks.  Some appear light brown in color while others seem to melt into the rocks around them.  There are probably a dozen of so of them in this picture.

If you happen to be on the tour in the May / June time frame you will also be privileged to see the harbor seal pups hanging out with their Mom.  Pictured here are two Moms with their pups except one of the Moms disappeared when I said "SMILE".   Afterwards,  you motor back into and behind Bar Island where the captain pulls up numerous lobster traps from 50 feet of water. 

 Here, Captain John pulls up a trap with 3 lobsters "in the parlor".  A trap consists of two heads (ports of entry - where the lobsters first enter the trap), a kitchen (which is where the lobsters enter and where the bait bag is), a parlor (the apparent exit after eating), and a juvenile escape port.  By law, the traps must also have a larger escape port should the pot be lost at sea - typically a stick of wood which holds a trap door closed will rot and the trap door opens.

Captain John is using the lobster gauge.  You can see the notched area which measures the minimum length of the carapace (3.5 inches).  In this case the lobster is too small by about 1/8th of an inch.  The other side of the gauge is the notch to measure the maximum length of the carapace (5").  Any lobster with a body over 5" in length (that would be a lobster weighing 4 to 5 pounds) must be returned to the sea.

Here's a borrowed picture to illustrate the main parts of a lobster.  I assure you, the captain goes much deeper into the biology.

 Lobster men and the state of Maine do an excellent job self regulating / regulating the industry which is why they are able to supply 90% of the lobster sold in the USA without endangering the numbers of lobsters in their territorial waters.  It's an education the entire trip out, while at and behind the islands, and on the way back in - the captain is wired!  That is, he wears and amplified remote microphone and uses it ever minute you're on the boat.  He has been a licenced captain for 30 years and has mastered boats (ships) up to 100 tons.  Needless to say he knows ever inch of the water and the area land masses.  He was the most upbeat, knowledgeable person (well, at least in this element) I have met to date.  And do NOT try to match wits with him - his mind processes information faster than a speeding bullet.

Thanks to the folks at  the Lobster Institute for letting me use this picture.  The web page for the picture is  http://www.lobsterinstitute.org/media/172.jpg