The Lobster Species,Preface To Boston Fish House Lobster Recipes From The 1940s

Fish House Recipes, 1940s

The Lobster Species

A shellfish of great economic importance is the lobster, found on the northern Atlantic coast. It averages about 11 inches in length and weighs 1 to 2 pounds, but the size varies with the localities and seasons. The great majority of lobsters reach spawning maturity when about 10 inches long.

The number of eggs in the first litter varies from about 3,000 to 9,000. Lobsters spawn once every two years and continue to grow until they reach a length of over 20 inches and sometimes weigh as much as 25 pounds. The eggs are usually laid during July and August and are extruded at one time. They are not discharged into the sea to float about until they hatch, as in the case of fish spawn; but become attached to the swimmerets on the underside of the mother's tail by a glue or cement of unknown composition which is excreted simultaneously with the spawning. Hatching period usually extends over a week.

Lobsters wander close to the shore and out to depths of over 100 fathoms in search of prey. They walk nimbly upon the tips of their slender legs. In the spring they come in closer to the shore and in the fall they retire to deeper waters. They are generally far more active at night than by day, and live chiefly on fish. The normal color of adult lobsters is dark green.

Lobsters are captured in traps called pots or creeks. In general they consist of oblong lath boxes in which bait is placed. These pots have one or more funnel shaped openings, usually inclined obliquely upward through which the lobsters pass in their search of food.