Abstract for Lobster Farming

This abstract reflects general technical and market aspects of lobster farming/processing

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INTRODUCTION OF LOBSTER FARMING

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Aquaculture, the farming ofaquatic organisms, is the fastestgrowing type of food productionin the world (Tidwell, 2001).Nearly 50 % of the fishconsumed by humans is farmed(Kourous, 2006). Globally thewild fish stocks are decliningwhilst the demand for fish isconstantly increasing, making theprospect of aquacultureincreasingly attractive (Peters,2007). Additionally, the necessityof aquacultures is getting moreimportant due to the fact thatalready in 2010 two thirds of allstocks of known status underRegional Fisheries Management

Organizations (RFMOs) weredepleted or being overfished.For example, stocks of tunasand their relatives havedeclined on average by 60%during the last half century andthe majority of these stocks areeither fully or overexploited(Sumaila, 2015).Hatching and farming as acombination in one project canresult in a couple of synergieslike the production of an ownbrood-stock, which lowers theexternal risk for theprocurement of eggs fromsuppliers. Furthermore gives anown hatchery the possibility

to develop species, which arebest suitable for the cagefarms` specific environmentthis lowers the risk ofdisproportionate mortalityrates.

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POPULAR SPECIES OF LOBSTER

No matter which body of waterthey hail from, all lobsters belongto the marine class ofinvertebrates known ascrustaceans, as do shrimp andcrabs. Lobsters are all bottom-feeding omnivores who dineprimarily on mollusks. They allhave poor vision, a keen sense ofsmell and 10 legs. There are a fewdifferences between warm andcold-water lobsters, includinggeographical range, social habitand notable differences inappearance. American andEuropean lobsters are cold-waterspecimens and found throughoutthe northern Atlantic Ocean.

Tropical spiny lobster (Panulirushomarus):The tropical spiny lobster isconsidered to be one of the mostexclusive seafood products in theworld. There is an increasingglobal demand of this high valueseafood product. To satisfydemand commonly wild caughtlobster is offered. But there isnow the possibility to successfully

farm Lobster with a land-basedRAS (Recirculating AquacultureSystem) overcoming the manytechnical challenges related toadopting the tropical spinylobster to high-tech profitableproduction technologies whilestill providing optimum rearingconditions. This land-basedtechnology is based on re-circulation of seawater and aspecial cage technology.

Cold water lobsterThe more exclusive cold-waterlobsters are typically longer andheavier in size than the warm-water spiny lobsters. The most

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POPULAR SPECIES OF LOBSTER

apparent difference betweenwarm and cold-water lobsters isthe presence or absence of largeclaws on the front-most pair legs.Cold-water lobsters are equippedwith a pair of claws that are eachdesigned for a different purpose.The larger claw has wide, thickteeth for crushing mollusk shells.The other claw is slightly smaller,with sharper teeth for tearingflesh. More often in areas where

the warm water lobster is notavailable, they are sold as frozentails. Cold water lobster isavailable fresh in many regions,even if they are not caught there.Because they are caught primarilyin the northeastern andnorthwestern Atlantic, they canbe shipped overnight and soldfresh. Cold water lobsters havewhiter meat than warm waterlobsters. The meat is sweeter andeasier to work with than warmwater lobster meat because it isfirmer. Cold water lobsters havemeat in their claws and their tails,but the only edible meat you’llfind in a warm water lobster is inthe tail.

Lobster aquaculture can beperformed in the following threeforms:

• Resource enhancementHatching eggs and releasinglarvaes in the stages I or IV intothe wild (Nicosia & Lavalli, 1999)

• Product enhancementLobsters are held and fed untiltheir quality and prices increase(Aiken & Waddy, 1995)

• Full grow outLobsters are reared from eggphase until they have reached thedesired quality for the targetmarket.

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FROM HATCHERY/FARMING TO PROCESSING

The eggs for the lobster brood-stock can be provided by thesupplier first. After the firstproduction cycle, some of theown farmed mature fishes can beput into the brood-stock. There isalso the possibility to purchaseeggs from established farm.

The farm will be equipped withsea water pumps, mechanicalwater filtration units, UV filters,recirculation systems withbiofilters, heaters, titanium heatexchangers, header tanks, rearingtanks, larval incubators andaccessories. Juveniles betweenstages I and III will be transported

back into the incubator to theirother siblings and juveniles in

stage IV will be transported tothe cages for on growing.

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FROM HATCHERY/FARMING TO PROCESSING

In the modern state of artadvanced production/on-growingfacility, the single cages rotatedsimilar to conventional conveyerbelts, and the lobsters were fedwhen the cages were in an up-right vertical position. Thisprocedure is a current methodfor cold water lobster. For warmwater lobster the juveniles staytogether throughout the stages Ito IV where they will be bred, asthey have smaller claws whichtherefore the risk of cannibalismis limited.The maintenance of the cages isimportant to secure the survivalof the brood stock. Hence, it is

possible to farm cannibalisticEuropean lobster or TropicalSpiny lobster. The only differencein farming the two lobster speciesis the on-growing facility. For thetropical spiny Lobster aseparation of the on-growingLobster is not necessary due tothe fact that this lobster specieshas very small claws and is lessaggressive (less cannibalistic).Therefore lobster are growingand fattening altogether in onetank. In contrast, the on-growingfacility for European lobsterconsist of separate cages for eachlobster. The breeding and on-growing of tropical spiny lobster

is cheaper than the one forEuropean cold water lobster.

The harvested lobster from thefarm can be distributed alive(fresh) to the local market.

The main processing parts are:

• The receiving area

• Weight grading lobster alive(fresh)

• Manual packing scales withlabel printers for barcodes

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MARKET

Global fish production has grownsteadily in the last five decades,with food fish supply increasingat an average annual rate of 3.2percent, outpacing worldpopulation growth at 1.6 percent.There is an increasing demand forhigh quality seafood products

and an increasing awareness ofconsumers for the nutritionalvalue of seafood products (Feidi,2009).This global average fishconsumption per capita producedin aquaculture has risensignificantly from 9kg per year in

2011 to 9.8kg per year in 2013. Incomparison the consumption ofcaptured fish fluctuates aroundthe amount of 9.85kg.Crustaceans like lobsterrepresents a high value seafoodproduct as shown in the figurebelow. The captive amount of

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MARKET

lobster and other sea foodproducts are limited. In thefuture the trade in fishcommodities will increase as wellas especially the developingcountries will consume a muchgreater share of the world’s fishin the future. This fishconsumption is increasing by 57percent, from 62.7 million tons in1997 to 98.6 million tons in 2020.This demand development isdriven by population growth,growing affluence andurbanization. This high demandwill not be meet by capturefisheries alone due toovercatching and decreasing wildstocks. It will be only feasible if

aquaculture production willincrease significantly. In the pastcouple of decades, however,aquaculture has boomedsignificantly (Tidwell, 2001).The production of sufficient foodfor the population has manyadvantages in the short, mediumand long term including purposesof food security, creation ofemployment, preservation ofresources, and savings on foreigncurrency reserves. On whetheraquaculture can close the fishdemand gap, it may be said thatwhile it would not be able toclose the gap completely, itcertainly can substantially narrowit. Several issues have to be

considered: human populationgrowth trends, enhancedproduction from capturefisheries, availability of morenatural resources foraquaculture, greater demand forfish proteins, government policiesand legislations, domesticationand genetic improvement ofcultured species andenvironmentally sustainableculture technology.

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