Photo: Foodistablog; Flickr

Fall really felt like it was in the air today. Blue skies, billowy clouds, brisk air, a breeze. This was jeans and a sweater weather, with roast pork and acorn squash for dinner. You gotta’ love New England.

But before anyone of us bids summer a final adieu, the local lobster industry, the Governor’s Office and the Department of Fish and Game(DFG) want Mass residents to consider and consume what some might treat as quintessentially summer fare–the lobster. It’s abundant in local waters this time of year, in part due to inshore migration and the rise in near-shore water temperatures, and relatively cheap as a result. October 7 was in fact declared “Lobster Day” by Governor Patrick.

Here are some numbers that caught my attention. Perhaps they’ll do the same for you, especially if you follow this industry and related issues:

• There are more than 1,330 lobster permits issued to commercial fishermen in Massachusetts and 11,000 recreational lobster permits. A total of 49 Massachusetts ports have commercial lobster trap fishermen.
• Massachusetts-based lobster dealers are the chief distributers of American lobster to the world market.
• In 2008, Massachusetts commercial fishermen landed more than 11.7 million pounds of lobster in Massachusetts, generating a gross income of $50.4 million.
• Massachusetts is the first and only state to require lobstermen to fish exclusively by “sinking” line between traps in state waters, minimizing the risk of trapping whales and other marine mammals.

If you’re tempted to bring it home for dinner, here’s what lobster provides, nutritionally speaking: it is high in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, zinc and Vitamins B12, B6, B3 (niacin), B2 (riboflavin), and A. 

You can read in more detail about Lobster Day and the Massachusetts lobster industry at MoreBeach or Wicked Local Rockport.

Comment with your reactions, and/or post some lobster meal ideas below.