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Unfortunately, we are not involved in breeding lobster and therefore, we have no expertise in that field.  You can contact a lobster hatchery such as Homarus (martin@mfu-upm.com) , the Zone C hatchery in Maine (www.penobscoteast.org/lobster_hatchery.asp) or even the National Lobster Hatchery (www.nationallobsterhatchery.co.uk).

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Yes lobster can be raised in a hatchery.  Homarus Inc.  http://www.homarus.ca/ would be a good site to look at.

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I would assume by pet red lobster, that you are referring to a freshwater crayfish here.  I can only assume that the lost 'arm' will eventually grow back if the crayfish is healthy.  As for the dead looking appendage, I would also think that it should eventually fall off on its own (if truly 'dead') and then grow back.  I'm not sure if I would pull it off on purpose or not.

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It is post-molt. This occurs because after a lobster molts there is a larger quantity of water inside them. When they are cooked this water is evaporated and therefore makes the meat appear shrivelled up.

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As lobsters get closer to the molt, they dehydrate themselves and a proportion of their blood is withdrawn from the appendages, including the claws, to make them smaller. It is reported that a 30 to 60% loss of tissue mass occurs in the claws, facilitating the withdrawal of the large portion of the claw through the smaller upper leg portion through which it must pass.

Full Question:
I have an crayfish as a pet and on October 22, 2005 it molted. I understand that they stop eating a few days before molting, but my crayfish will not eat after it molted, I mean its stays in the corner. Is this normal? I have feed it shrimp pellets but it will not even eat this so I am wondering do they stop eating for a few days after they molt because they are weak?

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When lobsters, and I would anticipate crayfish too, molt they will usually hide for a few days as a survival mechanism. But to make sure the growth is maximized with each molt, the crayfish must have proper nutrition soon after the molt. And apparently, it is not uncommon for them to eat their old shell in an attempt to gain back as much minerals as possible that was lost in the old carapace. I would think that once the crayfish has regained enough strength in its new shell, it will start foraging again. Therefore, I would continue to offer food, while making sure not to overwhelm the filter with too much uneaten food in tank which could result in deteriorating water quality.

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While the American lobster has been called a scavenger, it actually prefers fresh food, though a whiff of lobster bait might belie that fact. Its diet typically consists of crabs, clams, mussels, worms, and an occasional sea urchin or slow-witted flounder, and will very depending on what type of prey is available. A lobster may eat up to 100 different kinds of animals, and occasionally eat some plants as well. An opportunist, a lobster will also eat another lobster if given the chance. Captive lobsters become especially cannibalistic, which is why they must be banded or separated in individual compartments in a lobster pound. However, cannibalism has not been observed in the wild. Because lobsters eat their molts, it is dangerous to make this inference based on gut content analysis. The female lobster carries the eggs inside for 9 to 12 months and then for another 9 to 12 months externally attached to the swimmerettes under her tail. (Berried females carry thousands of eggs attached to their swimmerettes.) Depending on water temperatures, the eggs will remain attached for about a year on average. When the eggs hatch, the larvae will float near the surface for 4 to 6 weeks. The few that survive will settle to the bottom and continue to develop as baby lobsters. From every 50,000 eggs only 2 lobsters are expected to survive to legal size.

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In contrast to many crustaceans, lobsters are long lived and over the course of a lifetime, a female will mate with one male per breeding season. This does not mean that she will mate with the same male as the female will choose the most dominant male each time she chooses to mate.

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As far as I know, I don't believe lobsters eventually reach a 'no-longer-reproductive' stage. Just like they don't have a terminal molt (after which they never molt again). I could be wrong, but I have never seen any paper about reaching a non-sexual status. Large male lobsters are important as female lobsters will only mate with males who are as large or larger then they are.

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It is unlikely that your client has an American lobster, which is the species that the AVC Lobster Science Centre has expertise in. However, I would expect that the same goes for the European or Norwegian lobsters. The extruded eggs are cared for only by the female lobster; the care consists mostly of physical protection and insuring adequate oxygenation by beating the pleopods where the eggs are attached, thus increasing the water flow around the eggs. Neither female nor male lobsters look after the ‘babies’ once they’re hatched. In the American lobster, the extruded eggs will stay attached to the ventral surface of the tail for several months, sometime as long as 11 months. I would expect that your client will likely have a few (1000’s) babies if the eggs are fertilized, viable and the conditions are right for the female to release them. I am unsure on the likelihood of survival though; newly hatched lobster larvae will go up the water column and stay at/near the surface for a few weeks before heading back down to seek shelter. If larvae and the adult lobster are in the same tank, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a certain degree of cannibalism.

Full Question:
What is the evolutionary pattern of the common lobster? When did they evolve and from what type of species? What conditions have made the lobster change into the way that it is now from its start(as far as physical and possibly mental conditions in which the change has been benificial to the species darwins teachings of "survival of the fittest"-due to the change)?

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Not a lot is known in terms of how lobsters have evolved thru the years. Actually, clawed lobsters have received little or no attention with regard to diversity through time. According to classical Darwinian Theory of evolution, physical traits are inherited through genetics. However, scientists believe for example, that the development of one of the two lobster claws into a much bigger and stronger 'crusher' claw is likely determined by the environment and not genetics (baby lobsters have equal sized caws). Perhaps the modification of the first pair of legs into the highly specialized claws found on the American lobster compared to the clawless spiny and rock lobsters is also due to the environment and not genetics? As for mental evolution, ???... A review paper on lobster evolution thru time was recently published: Tshudy D. 2003. Clawed lobster (Nephropidae) diversity across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. J of Crustacean Biology 23(1): 178-86.

Full Question:
If a female lobster for some reason was mutated and did not have any swimmerets how would the eggs be fertilized? Is there another way or would the lobster be unable to reproduce? What are common contaminants that are present in lobster habitats that could cause the lobster to become mutated in any way? What are the resulted mutations? In what way do they affect their daily lives?

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First of all, I have never seen or heard of mutated lobsters. One could hypothesize that perhaps some of the common mutagenic or teratogenic compounds, drugs and chemicals could cause malformation of the lobster larvae? Usually, there must be exposure to a teratogenic or mutagenic agent during the actual formation of an organ to have a gross defect involving the organ undergoing formation at that time. Since organ formation only starts once the eggs are extruded and fertilized, can there still be substantial exposure to detrimental agents? I don't know. I don't know if a female lobster with deformed or no swimmeret could successfully reproduce. The swimmerets are not directly involved in the egg fertilization process. However, they are necessary as they contain glands that produce the 'glue' needed to attached the fertilized eggs on the ventral surface of the female lobster's tail. Without that adhesive or cement, the eggs would be lost and perhaps end up in less than optimum conditions resulting in their death.

Answer:

• Because the "berries" are the eggs and females with eggs are released so that the eggs can hatch. The eggs spend at least ten months on the female. The colder the water, the longer the eggs take to hatch.

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After molting, lobsters will eat voraciously, often devouring their own recently vacated shells. This replenishment of lost calcium hastens the hardening of the new shell which takes about 14-30 days from the actual loss of the old shell.

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Lobster babies swim at the water surface for 25 days. Only one percent make it to the bottom. These young lobsters shed their shells about ten times in their first year. A near-shore lobster has a 65 - 90% chance of ending up on someone's dinner plate.

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• A freshly laid lobster egg is the size of the head of a pin (1.5mm). A 1/2kg female lobster usually carries approximately 8000 eggs. A 4kg female may carry more than 100,000 eggs. The female lobster carries the eggs inside for 9 to 12 months and then for another 9 to 12 months externally attached to the swimmerettes under her tail. When the eggs hatch, the larvae will float near the surface for 4 to 6 weeks. The few that survive will settle to the bottom and continue to develop as baby lobsters. From every 50,000 eggs only 2 lobsters are expected to survive to legal size.

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Answer:

A female lobster mates when she is in the soft-shell state right after she has molted. Female lobsters can carry live sperm for up to two years. At any time she may decide to fertilize her 3,000-75,000 eggs. By law, a female lobster carrying eggs must be thrown back if it is caught.

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Lobster embryo will molt about six times while still in the egg. After they are released from the mother's swimmerettes and hatch, the larva will float freely in the water column and molt several more times before taking the form that we recognize as a lobster. At this point they may be only 6mm in length.

Answer:

Berried females carry thousands of eggs attached to their swimmerettes. Depending on water temperatures, the eggs will remain attached for about a year on average. Only 0.1% of the prelarva will survive over six weeks after being released at hatching.

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Answer:

Lobsters grow by molting or shedding their shell. They secrete enzymes that soften the shell and connective shell joints. The shell splits up the back and the creature backs out leaving it behind...including the membrane that covered the eyes. By the time a lobster is of legal size (approximately 5 - 7 years), it will have molted about 20-25 times, averaging 4-5 molts a year. As they get older they molt only once a year to once every two years. At each molt, lobsters increase in length by 15% and increase in volume by 50%. After a molt the animal is vulnerable because the new shell is very soft. It will hide among the rocks on the bottom for 6-8 weeks until its shell hardens enough to offer some protection.