Lobster Culture - A Perspective On Intensive Crustacean Rearing

For many years, the production of intensively reared crustaceans in the United States has been assumed to be an economically attractive proposition. In the late 1970's profitable culture of Homarus in the United States was believed possible upon the development of very large and technologically sophisticated facilities. Until recently, however, commercial development could not proceed due to the lack of essential biological information on reproduction and nutrition which would allow for the application of cost saving technology. Recently it has been shown that egg production in the female lobster can be induced by proper photoperiod manipulation. This finding suggests that with appropriate management practices the commercial culturist could be assured of a reliable supply of seed stock throughout the year. Development of a formulated pelletized diet which supports the growth of juvenile lobsters to adulthood is another recent advance. Although the rate of growth on this laboratory ration is still less than that achieved on a diet of natural food items, this ration serves as a foundation from which to proceed in the development of practical feeds. In addition to refining reproductive control and furthering feed development, at least three additional steps are seen as necessary before the potential of commercial lobster aquaculture can be reliably predicted. First, the existing economic model needs to be examined in light of research which has taken place since its original conception. It is likely that such an effort would lead to a refining of current ideas regarding commercial culture. Second, additional biological research is required to understand the nature of space restriction on growth. Reduction of the space requirement will undoubtedly allow for significant savings in the capital required for commercial facilities. Finally, it would appear to be prudent to validate an improved economic model at a scale appropriate to the envisioned commercial operation.