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American Lobster

American lobsters are the largest of all lobsters, with some individuals weighing over 20 kilograms (44 pounds) and reaching lengths of more than 1 meter (3 feet). They are one of the most iconic crustaceans, famous for their large claws and importance to fisheries.

 

These lobsters are found in the northwest Atlantic Ocean from Canada’s cold waters down to North Carolina at up to depths of 700 meters (2,300 feet), although they are most abundant in coastal waters off the Northeastern United States. They live on the ocean seafloor, seeking out habitats where they can take shelter – rocky reefs, muddy bottoms where they can burrow, seagrass beds, and even the walls of underwater canyons! They are typically an olive-green or greenish-brown, which helps them camouflage among rocks and seaweed.

American lobsters have two distinct claws: a large, crushing claw for breaking shells and a sharper, cutting claw for tearing softer prey. They feed on almost any prey they can catch, including fish, sea urchins, worms, and crabs, and will also scavenge. Like other crustaceans, they grow by molting—shedding their hard exoskeleton and forming a new one. Because they shed their shell, it can be difficult to tell how old a lobster is, but it is believed they may live to be 100 years old!

 

 

Although the American lobster is assessed as “Least Concern” by the IUCN Red List, careful fisheries management is needed to prevent overfishing. These lobsters support a massive fishery in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, and population status varies by region – meaning that while the species as a whole might be safe from extinction, it is not stable at an individual population level.

 

 

There are a variety of regulations in place to protect American lobster populations, including controlling the size of lobsters taking, limiting the type of traps and timing of lobster fishing, and marking known reproducing females to try and ensure they avoid being harvested. Management restrictions like these are important to prevent overfishing and prevent the collapse of the American lobster fishery. Oceana campaigns around the world to increase the number of fisheries with management plans and catch limits in order to rebuild ocean abundance.

 

 

IUCN Red List 

NOAA Fisheries 

Animal Diversity Web 

 

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