a)

b)
Figure 6. a) Shell condition of lobsters at The Lobster Conservancy's intertidal study sites, Penobscot Bay Lobster Collaborative, 1998 and 1999 (n = 277). A soft shell indicates a recent molt (within <1 day), while a brittle shell indicates a molt within the past week. b) Comparative frequency of non-molting (hard shell) versus molting lobsters (i.e., premolt, soft shell, and brittle-shelled lobsters combined; represented in green columns). The peak molting period occurred in August.