TECHNIQUES FOR LONG TERM HOLDING AND CULTURE OF AMERICAN LOBSTERS

UNFORTUNATELY, TECHNICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS INVLOVED INTHE LONG-TERM HOLDING OF LOBSTERS OFTEN RESULT IN DEGRADATION OF PRODUCT QUALITY AND SUBSTANTIAL LOSSES DUE TOMORTALITY. MUCH OF THE MORTALITY IN POUNDING OPERATIONS IS CAUSED BY THE UNCONTROLLED MOLTING OF LOBSTERS AND POOR NUTRITION. THIS STUDY SEEKS TO SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS BY INVESTIGATING THE FEASIBILITY OF INHIBITING MOLT PROCESSES AND BY IMPROVING MOLTING CONTROL AND SUBSEQUENT SURVIVAL THROUGH TEMPERATURE AND DIET MANIPULATION. COLDWATER EXPERIMENTS WILL ATTEMPT TO DETERMINE OPTIMAL TEMPERATURES AND TIMES FOR MOLT INHIBITION IN VARIOUS GEOGRAPHICAL LOBSTER STOCKS. OTHER EXPERIMENTS WILL RESEARCH THE USEFULNESS OF WARMWATER TO STIMULATE MOLTING AND WEIGHT GAININ CANNER SIZED LOBSTER, AND THE FEASIBILITY OF FORMULATING AN INEXPENSIVE ARTIFICIAL DIET FOR USE IN LOBSTER POUND SYSTEMS. IT ISANTICIPATED THAT THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY WILL SUPPLY TECHNIQUES THAT WILL MAKE LOBSTER HOLDING FACILITIES A PRACTICAL SOLUTION FOR PROVIDING YEAR-ROUND SUPPLY OF LIVE LOBSTERS. IN ADDITION, THIS RESEARCH MAY PROVIDE AN ECONOMICALLY PRACTICAL APPROACH TO THE ULTIMATE DEVELOPMENT OF COMMERCIAL LOBSTER AQUACULTURE. THE POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION AS DESCRIBED BY THE AWARDEE: THE PROPOSED RESEARCH DOES APPEAR TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION TO THE LOBSTER HOLDING AND DISTRIBUTION INDUSTRY. THE ABILITY TO HOLD LIVELOBSTERS FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME AFTER CAPTURE, WITHOUTINCURRING SIGNIFICANT MORTALITY, COULD GREATLY EXPAND THE MARKETING SEASON. THIS IN TURN SHOULD HELP TO STABILIZE LOBSTER PRICES, IMPROVE PRODUCT QUALITY, AND INCREASE THE SUPPLY OF LIVE LOBSTER TO RETAIL OUTLETS. IN ADDITION, THE PHASE I RESEARCH DEALING WITH MOLTING CONTROL AND NUTRITION OF WILD CAUGHT LOBSTER PROVIDES AN ECONOMICALLY PRACTICAL APPROACH TO THE ULTIMATE DEVELOPMENT OF COMMERCIAL LOBSTER AQUACULTURE.