Introduction

Building and maintaining lobster holding systems is a vital part of the lobster industry. Lobsters from Maine are shipped around the globe, often to places far from the sea, and they need to be stored in tanks. The guidelines set out in this manual will answer most of the commonly asked questions about how to set up a lobster holding system and maintain live and healthy lobsters.

Source and Appearance of Lobsters

Lobsters should be banded, not plugged. Plugged lobsters are more susceptible to gaffkemia or red tail, a fatal bacterial infection that enters a lobster through a wound or break in the shell. Therefore, the shell and membrane should be free of any perforations and the antennae should be long with no evidence that they have been chewed. Chewed antenna are a sign that lobsters have been previously stored, since lobsters chew on each other when held in crowded conditions such as pounds or cars.

New Shell Lobsters

A new shell lobster, sometimes called a "shedder" or soft shell, is one that has recently molted. This process allows the lobster to grow. New shell lobsters have less meat per unit total weight and have a softer shell. Since their shells are more vulnerable to puncture, new shell lobsters should be handled carefully. There is also more cannabalism among new shells.

Handling

1. Examine every lobster. Remove and market or process lobsters that are weak and those with cracked shells or claws first.

2. Always set crates down gently. Never drop them, even a few inches. The sharp shell projections will pierce the shells and membranes of the lobsters that are inside the crate.

3. Band lobsters that have no bands.

Ratio of Lobsters to Water

Tanks are usually loaded at 1 pound of lobster to 2 gallons of saltwater. Reservoir storage is included in this calculation. You can calculate tanks and reservoir size as 462 cubic inches (or .267 cubic feet) per pound of lobster.

Here are some standard conversions which may be handy when calculating loading and filter size.

Updated 10/6/96 - ASAP Media Services - Feedback and Comments?