Too often, SeaWeb and other nautical nannies generate scare headlines about vanishing seafood to bolster their calls for boycotts. But now, marine scientist Diane Cowan, aided by a veritable volunteer army of Maine lobstermen, is using hard scientific measurement — and not politically tainted conjecture — to prove her favorite seafood can be enjoyed by millions for years to come. By tracking baby lobsters sometimes no bigger than jelly beans, Cowan is building a realistic lobster population database that the fishing community applauds. And to one of her tiny study specimens, she says, “I’m definitely going to see you on my plate someday.”
