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![]() Sometimes the tail of cooked lobster is filled
with a black, slimy substance. What is it and is the lobster good anyway?
This black substance is made of
eggs that were resorbed. The female was caught when she was about to lay
her eggs. Instead of being laid, eggs were liquefied (the vitello-proteins
in the eggs were re-circulated in the blood, giving it a black color).
It is not very appetizing, but the lobster is good nevertheless. It simply
needs
to be rinsed.
Is it true that females are better tasting
than males?
It has not really been proven
whether the taste of male or female flesh is different. People often want
females because they like to eat the coral (ovaries that contain eggs) that
is found in the abdomen. On the other hand, adult males have a larger crusher
claw than females.
How do we distinguish a male from a female?
By looking at the first pair of
swimmerets. The male has large, hard and whitish swimmerets, whereas the female
swimmerets are small and soft (see the anatomy section for a picture).
Why do lobsters turn red when they are cooked?
The color of the carapace is made
up of a basic pigment (red), which is associated to other pigments. When heated,
the pigments associated to red change and their binding is destroyed. The
red pigment is thus released. It is not altered by heat and gives a beautiful
red color to cooked lobster. The albino lobster remains white when it is cooked
because it does not have color pigment.
How many eggs can a lobster lay?
Between a few thousand and several
tens of thousands, according to the size of the female. The bigger the female
is, the more eggs it lays. However, the survival rate is very low. Of 10,000
larvae, approximately only one will become an adult lobster.
How old are lobsters we buy at a fish market?
It is difficult to establish the
exact age of a lobster. The rate at which it grows depends on water temperature.
The warmer the water is, the quicker it grows. In the Magdalen Islands,
lobsters reach their commercial size at about 8 years of age.
How long can a lobster live?
We don’t know the maximum
age of lobsters. However, they can live for more than 50 years.
What do lobsters eat?
Lobsters are predators. They feed
on shellfish, sea urchins, crabs, weak fish, marine worms, etc. They also
feed on dead animals that they come across. (See section Predator and prey:
who eats who?)
How fast do lobsters move?
Generally, lobsters move slowly
by walking on the bottom. However, when they are in danger and have to
flee, they can swim backwards quickly by curling and uncurling their abdomen.
A speed of 5 metres/second has already been recorded.
Do lobsters have good eyesight?
Lobster eyes are very sensitive
to light and can detect movement even at night. However, they do not see
clear images. To compensate for their weak eyesight, lobsters are very
sensitive to odours and vibrations they picked up using their antennas
and several
receptors
on their bodies. These large antennas help them find their way around mostly
through touching.
How are lobsters caught?
Lobsters are caught using traps
baited with dead fish (see section Fishery and management).
Are lobsters caught year-round?
In the United States, yes. In
Québec, the fishery begins when the ice is gone and ends in July. In
other areas of Canada, the fishery
begins
in
November.
Are both claws on a lobster identical?
No. Lobsters have two claws that
have different functions. There is a crusher claw, which has large "teeth" that
enable them to break prey carapace or shell, and a cutter claw that has
several little "teeth" that allow them to tear or cut prey flesh.
Are there any reference
books about lobster?
Suggested reading:
Are there other Internet sites about lobster?
Suggested links (see Important Notices):
Information on nutritional value, conservation and consumption
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