Resetting the Clock on a Lobster Transfer - Give Them a Drink

The lobster industry most commonly uses floating crates (often called Logteks) for holding or trucking lobster. One frequently-asked-question is whether or not lobster will be okay being held in a floating crate in a shower system. Many think that the lobster shouldn't dry out in this configuration, so they should be fine. The problem with this theory is that lobster can't breathe through their shells. They have gills that require oxygenated water to flow over them. These gills are situated in the gill chamber underneath the lobster. If a lobster is upright, water being sprayed over it will run over the shell and not be able to reach the gills. Therefore, the lobster are trying to gather oxygen from the air alone.

In 1964, research was conducted in New Brunswick that compared lobster 'breathing' in water vs air. The results show that lobster in air are only able to uptake between 20-40% of the oxygen that they are able to uptake in water! Other studies show what a lobster will do when it can't get enough oxygen. As oxygen availability decreases, it first increases its heart rate (to increase blood flow through the gills) and increases the action of its scaphagonites (to increase water flow across the gills). If it still lacks oxygen, it tries lowering its heart rate and decreasing scaphagonite action in order to conserve oxygen for more vital functions assuming that it will soon be placed in a high oxygen environment. With only 20% of its normal oxygen uptake available, the lobster will essentially shut down and wait out the storm.

A lobster waiting out the storm is a lobster getting weaker over time.

There are two conclusions from this that we want to highlight.

1. Commonly accepted practice of 'giving a lobster a drink' by putting it in water is critical to keeping it from getting weak or dying.

2. Holding lobster in a floating crate in a shower system should be measured in minutes, not hours or days. Every minute that a lobster is in a floating crate in a shower system needs to be counted as part of the transit time to/from the facility. The only way to reset the clock is to put them in water - either in a tank or in a specific shower system tote that holds water and keeps them submerged.

Aqua Production Systems has kept many millions of pounds of lobster reach market successfully by building top quality holding systems that allow lobster to breathe easy. Our systems are proven to hold lobster commercially for more than 6 months and keep them in tip-top shape for shipments around the world.