Create Lobster Farms

Lobster is a seafood enjoyed by many people around the world. Most people will only eat fresh lobster when visiting areas known for their large lobster supply, such as Maine and other parts of New England, or Nova Scotia. Fish such as salmon and catfish are cultivated in farms, to provide a selection of fresh seafood to other parts of the world where it cannot be caught right from the ocean. Lobster farming is a method that has been used since the early 20th century to meet the high demand for meat from these crustaceans. Create lobster farms anywhere the space and supplies are available.

Steps

1. Find a suitable location. Successful lobster farming will require enough space to set up several troughs, which are underwater pens. Clean water, free from pollutants and waste, and flat land to accommodate the troughs are essential elements of a lobster farm. Also important is having enough space for the lobsters. Lobsters will eat each other before they develop their shells if they feel crowded. Make sure the space will allow for enough troughs to house the lobsters in an non-crowded environment.
2. Install troughs. Provide a good environment on the lobster farm by installing several solid troughs. These will not only keep the lobsters on the farm, they will also keep them safe from outside predators and each other. Place the troughs side by side, in even rows so that each one is easily accessible.
3. Provide good filtration. Keeping water clean and filtered is necessary to protect lobsters from disease, which can spread very quickly through a farm. The best way to prevent disease is to manage the waste produced by the lobsters. Mechanical filtration will regularly remove waste from the water supply. Bio-filtration systems will leave the waste in the water, but convert it to a less toxic nitrate that is safe for the lobsters.
4. Purchase larvae. Suppliers of lobster larvae can be found primarily in hatcheries or fisheries in Canada and on the northern Atlantic coast. Once a lobster hatches from its shell, it is tiny, transparent, has large eyes and a spiny body. This is larvae, and it will move through 4 stages of larvae before becoming a recognizable lobster.
5. Feed the lobsters. Keep the lobsters healthy and growing by feeding them. In the wild, they eat small crustaceans, mollusks and fish. Appropriate feed can be purchased from the supplier of the larvae. Lobster food blends are also being developed in Norway. Cod feed can be used to feed lobsters in a farmed environment.

Tips

• Lobsters prefer to swim near the surface of the water, especially when in the larvae stages. This can make them vulnerable to birds. Keep the lobster farm away from trees, or provide netting to deter birds.
• Establish the lobster farm near to the supplier of the larvae. This will reduce the chances of larvae dying during shipment, and will reduce stress on the young lobsters.

Things You'll Need

• Troughs
• Clean water
• Filtration system
• Larvae
• Lobster feed

Related Articles

• Buy a Maine Lobster

Sources and Citations

• http://maineslobster.com/maine-lobster-farming
• http://www.fishfarmsupply.ca/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=FFS&Category_Code=Filtration

See also

• Take Care of Crayfish
• Raise Brine Shrimp
• Breed Red Cherry Shrimp
• Care for Sea Monkeys
• Raise Sea Monkeys
• Take Care of Ghost Shrimp
• Make a Shrimp Aquarium
• Care for Triops
• Keep Crystal Red Shrimp
• Catch a Crayfish