Welcome to Lobster 101

Here the cast will entertain you with some antics and if you are not careful you may learn something.

Minimum Size. Lobsters have to a minimum size before they can be taken from the ocean. The Department of Fisheries sets size limit, to ensure they all measure the lobster the same way. Lobsters are measured from the just behind the eye to the end of the abdomen. The measuring gauge must touch the lobsters abdomen. The lobster has to be thrown back if the gauge goes past the end of the abdomen. Regulations require that wholes in the trap be a sized to allow small lobsters to escape (The remaining lobsters still have to be measured).
Protecting the Next Generation. Female lobsters carry eggs underneath their tail. Any female lobster caught carrying eggs has to be thrown back. The female lobster will drop the eggs once they have matured.
Licenses. Each commercial lobsterman needs to have a shellfishing license issued from the department. The license allows the fisherman to drop traps in the ocean. The license for lobsterman is visible on the buoy used to mark their traps. The terms of the license also allows the boat to be boarded at any time by the Department of Fisheries (DOF) to inspect the lobsters for size and egg violations.

Bulging Biceps. Crusher has two large claws that he can use to capture prey. He has a quick slashing pincher claw and large 'crushing' claw. Lobsters will use the pincher to grab prey and bring it close enough to get a hold of with the crusher. Once in the crusher there little chance for escape. A lobster can easily snap a pencil or even a finger once in the grasp of the crusher. Lobsters can be either right or left handed. Some lobsters have the crushing claw on the right while others have it on the left. Crusher's large claw is on the left. Does that make him right or left handed?
External Skeleton. Lobsters have an external skeleton. This gives them extra protection from predators and each other. This also means that in order to grow they must molt. Twice each season the lobster discards his old shell and grows a new one. The lobster is very vulnerable during this time. His external skeleton takes a couple of weeks to harden. During the time they will usually hide under a rock and try to stay out of harms way.
Which way am I going? Lobsters use their legs to slowly move forward. They crawl across the bottom looking for food. But, when they need a quick burst of speed they are great swimmers. There is only problem with swimming. They have to travel backwards. They quickly close their tail to propel them throw the water like a jet. This gives them a good view of what they are running away from but they have no idea where they are headed.

At home in The Maritimes. While salty has been all over the world he is most comfortable in Maritime waters. Rock lobsters are cold water creatures. The lobsters you see in warm water areas like the Caribbean are not rock lobsters. They are called spiny lobsters. Spiny lobsters do not have the large front claws like their northern cousins (and they are not very good dancers)
In The dark. Lobsters are usually nocturnal. They keep a low profile during the day and usually hide under a rock. During the night they come out and roam the ocean floor looking for food, and bare feet walking on the beach.

Poverty Food?? Long ago, lobsters were so plentiful that Native Americans used them to fertilize their fields and to bait their hooks for fishing. In colonial times, lobsters were considered "poverty food." They were harvested from tidal pools and served to children, to prisoners, and to indentured servants, who exchanged their passage to North America for seven years of service to their sponsors. In Massachusetts, some of the servants finally rebelled. They had it put into their contracts that they would not be forced to eat lobster more than three times a week.
Now A delicacy. During World War II lobster was considered a delicacy, and consequently was not rationed. Thus lobster meat filled the increasing demand for protein-rich food. People in the US could afford it because of the boom of the war-time economy. Although there was a decline in lobster purchases immediately after the war, lobster consumption rapidly rebounded. In the years between 1950 and 1969, per capita lobster consumption increased from .585 pounds (live weight) to .999 pounds. At the same time the cost of lobster outpaced inflation, increasing profits for lobstermen and thereby encouraging more people to join the industry.

Male or Female? There are a couple of things you can look for to determine if a lobster is male or female. Female lobsters have wider tails. This comes in handy for carrying around the enormous amount of eggs. Male lobsters have thinner tails. They also have spikes on the underside of their tails. Male lobsters also have larger upper bodies.
When is 'in season'? Most restaurants vary the price of lobster from season to season. This is because lobsters are more common during certain parts of the year. Lobsters make two migrations each year. In the Bay of Fundy area, they migrate up the bay in July to lay eggs. Lobsters also make a second and smaller migration during the month of November. During these migrations the lobsters are easily caught.