The Lobster Institute is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2017 by highlighting the close and collaborative relationships it has built with the lobster industry over the years. For example, one of the first studies conducted by the Institute was on lobster band strengths. It also works with industry on quality controls and best management practices, collects baseline data on lobster health, facilitates learning opportunities, helped initiate the first Canadian/U.S. Lobstermen’s Town Meeting, and assists entrepreneurs with product development.
Abby Shaughnessy, a marine biology student at the University of Maine, is studying ways to make lobster shells harder. Harder shells lead to better lobster quality, higher prices and a higher chance the lobster can survive being shipped overseas. Shaughnessy is experimenting with different temperatures and feeding regimes to see if she can upgrade lobsters with B class shells to A class hardness. Her results should be available by the end of the year.
Reprinted from the latest issue of The Lobster Bulletin, produced by the University of Maine’s Lobster Institute.
