Did you know?
The largest Maine Lobster is a humongous 27-pound lobster caught February 17, 2012 by Robert Malone in a shrimp net off the coast of Rockland Maine, about five miles out to sea. Measuring more than 40 inches long, the lobster, affectionately named "Rocky," was brought to the Maine State Aquarium. Needless to say, Rocky was no shrimp with claws so strong and massive, they could likely snap a man's arm. Rocky's size is roughly equivalent to that of a 3-year-old toddler so the behemoth crustacean was cradled like a small child by researchers.
The good news is that Maine law forbids fishermen from keeping any lobsters that measure more than 5 inches from the eye to the start of the tail; dimensions that Rocky easily exceeds. So unlike his smaller brethren, Rocky won't be destined for a boiling pot and a dip in drawn butter. Shortly after his site seeing trip to the Maine State Aquarium, Rocky was released back into the wild to live a long life.
The largest lobster recorded was caught off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, and weighed 44.4 lbs; it was between 3 and 4 feet long. Scientists think it was at least 100 years old.
What color are lobsters? Are live lobsters red?
Live lobsters are usually dark green or greenish-brown, but lobsters can be found in a range of colors including blue, white, orange, yellow, black, and sometimes even red. But whatever color they are when alive, all lobsters turn bright red when cooked.
What is the difference between Hard shell and Soft shell lobsters?
Lobsters grow by molting, or by shedding their shells each year. Just after they molt, they are soft and fragile until their new shell has hardened, and they are known as new shell or soft shell lobsters, sometimes called "shedders.” After their new shell hardens, they are known as hard shell lobsters.
Do lobsters lay eggs?
An adult female lobster will produce approximately 10,000 eggs when she is fertile. Each egg is the size of the head of a pin. As they grow, the eggs are held under the mothers tail with a special glue-like substance. The female will carry her eggs for almost a year. Then the eggs are released as larvae. It has been estimated that less than 1% of the eggs will survive to grow into an adult.
How does a lobster grow?
Lobsters grow by molting, or shedding their shells. Just after they molt, they are soft and fragile until their new shell has hardened. During this time, the lobster buries itself in the mud to hide from its natural enemies. When they are young, an immature lobster will molt several times each year. It takes approximately seven years for a lobster to grow to legal harvesting size (1-1 1/4 lb.). At this age, they molt just once a year, usually during the summer months. Each molt will increase their size by 1/4 lb. on average. When lobsters get older, they will often skip years, and molt less frequently.
What do lobsters eat?
Lobsters have an unfair reputation as scavengers, while they actually prefer fresh food, such as crabs, clams, mussels, worms, and even fish, especially bottom dwelling fish such as flounder. In fact, the cold water lobster's large crusher claw is designed to crush the shells of clams, crabs, and other prey.
How do you hold a lobster so you won't get crunched by its claws?
Live lobsters should always be delivered with heavy rubber bands on their claws. Lobster fishermen put strong rubber bands on its claws on as soon as a lobster is removed from its trap, to protect other lobsters from being damaged by the claws. You can leave these rubbers bands on the claws until after the lobster is cooked, so you never need to worry about being injured by the claws.
How do you pick up a lobster?
To pick up a lobster, grab it by the back, just above where the tail connects to the carapace (body). The lobster won't be able to bend his claws back enough to get you. Be careful not to let your fingers get below the tail; the shell on the underside of the tail has some sharp edges, and may cut you if the lobster flips its tail as if it was swimming.
Many people ask us questions about lobster:
How big do lobsters grow? Why isn’t my fresh lobster red? What do they eat?
How do you pick them up without getting pinched? How do you cook them?
Well, here's some interesting information about lobsters.
Note: the answer to “How do you cook them?” can be found by clicking on the How to Cook Lobster tab at the left.
Ship to Shore Lobster Company
7 Wharf Street
Owls Head, ME 04854
Tel. (207) 594-4606
email us at:
Lat. 44.050
Long. -69.031
Live Lobster at the Wharf
Ship to Shore Lobster Company, LLC www.ShiptoShoreLobster.com
