- European lobster
Taxobox | name = European lobster
image_width = 280px
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Arthropoda
subphylum = Crustacea
classis =Malacostraca
ordo =Decapoda
infraordo =Astacidea
familia = Nephropidae
genus = "Homarus "
species = "H. gammarus"
binomial = "Homarus gammarus"
binomial_authority = Linnaeus, 1758
synonyms = "Cancer gammarus" Linnaeus, 1758 "Astacus marinus" Fabricius, 1775 "Astacus gammarus" Pennant, 1777 "Homarus marinus" Weber, 1795 "Astacus europaeus" Couch, 1837 "Homarus vulgaris" H. Milne Edwards, 1837The European lobster ("Homarus gammarus") (possibly referred as
crayfish ) is a largeEurope an clawedlobster . It is difficult to distinguish from theAmerican lobster ("Homarus americanus") — the best distinction is the geographical location, with the European lobster in the easternAtlantic Ocean and the American lobster in the western Atlantic, and by the lack of teeth on the underside of the rostrum of a European lobster [cite book |url=http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/bis/lobsters.php?menuentry=tekstsleutel&pagenum=12 |title=FAO species catalogue Vol. 13: Marine lobsters of the world. |author=Lipke Holthuis |date=1991 |publisher=FAO] .An easier distinction is that American lobsters are brown when uncooked and European ones are blue. Both are red when cooked.Range
The natural range of the European lobster is the eastern
Atlantic Ocean from theLofoten Islands in northwesternNorway to theAzores andMorocco . It can also been found in theMediterranean Sea west ofCrete and in the northwestern parts of theBlack Sea , but not in theBaltic Sea . It is rarely found deeper than 50 m, but can be found anywhere from thelow tide mark to 150 m, on hard substrates made of rock or mud cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/figis/servlet/FiRefServlet?ds=species&fid=2648 |publisher=FAO |title="Homarus gammarus" (Linnaeus, 1758)] .Life cycle
The European lobster is
solitary ,nocturnal and territorial, living in holes or crevices in the sea floor during the day. In the summer, lobsters seek mates, and these migrations are the peak time for lobster fishery. The eggs are then carried by the female for around eleven months, meaning that egg-bearing females may be found throughout the year. After hatching, theplankton iclarva e are released. These spend approximately 2-3 weeks in the water column. They then settle out of the water column and burrow into the seabed where they spend approximately 2 years. At acarapace length of about 15 mm they leave their burrows for crevices in rocky substrate. The smallest lobsters to be encountered in lobster pots are around 15 cm long.Maturity (andminimum landing size s) tend to be reached after 4-5 years.The diet of the adult European lobster comprises mostly sea-bottom invertebrates such as
crab s,mollusc s,sea urchin s, polychaete worms andstarfish , but may also includefish andplant s. When moulting, lobsters eat a greater proportion of sea urchins and starfish, as a source ofcalcium . Feeding is reduced in the winter because of the slowermetabolic rate brought on by the lower seatemperature s.ize
The European lobster is slightly smaller on average than the closely-related
American lobster , "Homarus americanus", with a maximum recorded length of 1.26 m, and weights of up to nearly 19 kg. However, such giants are rarely seen, and lengths of 23-50 cm with weights of around 0.7 kg are typical. At the minimum catch size (acarapace length of 87 mm in theBritish Isles [cite web |url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1993/Uksi_19931178_en_1.htm |title=The Undersized Lobsters Order 1993] [cite web |url=http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/daff/minimumlandingsizes.pdf |title=Minimum landing sizes in the Isle of Man] ), European lobsters are estimated to be 5-7 years old, with the largest specimens being more than 50 years old.Fishery
The European lobster is fished throughout its natural range, but on a smaller scale than the
American lobster . Most of the fishery is carried out withlobster pot s, baited with oily fish such asscad , or with pieces ofoctopus orcuttlefish . Although attempts have been made to run lobster farms, they proved to be unfeasible because of the lobsters' aggressively territorial habits. The FAO reported an annual catch of over 2,000ton s annually in the 1980s . Prices in 2001 were around €15 per kilogram of lobster meat.References
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