The largest (recorded) lobster caught was 42.4 lbs, had a carapace length of 14.9 inches and a total body length of 24.1 inches (two feet!). It was caught in 1934 and was probably at least 100 years old. You can tell a lobster’s approximate age by taking the weight of the lobster, multiply it by […]

O Henry (pen name of William Sydney Porter) was the first to use the term “fillet mignon” in his 1906 book “The Four Million”.
With French derivatives, it means small or dainty fillet.
Fillet= boneless meat
Mignon=dainty

The Dungeness Crab or Cancer magister gets its common name from the town of Dungeness, Washington, now called Old Town Dungeness, where the first commercial harvesting of the crab was done. The Dungeness Crab is the only commercially important crab in the state of Washington’s territorial waters and was the first shellfish harvested commercially on […]

Some 15 years ago, blue mussels knew their enemies and had a rather peaceful life in the New England waters. But when an invasive crab species turned up, the mussels moved quickly to defend themselves against this new predator by thickening their shells. Such rapid evolutionary response is a “nanosecond” compared with the thousands of […]

A lobster with a condition known as gynandromorphy occasionally appears in a lobster trap. Literally, gynandromorphy is a condition of having female and male reproductive characteristics. The term comes from the Greek word roots “gyn” for woman, “andros” for man, and “morph” meaning shape or form. Although gynandromorphs have male and female characteristics, they are […]

If you love lobster and you have a competitive streak, you may want to enter one of five lobster-eating contests being held at some of Maine’s summer festivals. Ten contestants at each of the five festivals will be chosen on a first-come, first-serve basis. They’ll be given four cooked Maine lobsters and will be required […]

Tasmanian Freshwater Lobster
The Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster (Astacopsis gouldi) is the largest freshwater invertebrate on Earth. There are records of specimens reaching more than five kilograms in weight and over 80cm in length, although 2 to 3kg is now considered large. The spiny Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster is blue to brown in color and is […]

Shell disease was first noticed in Maine lobsters in the 1980s, and is caused by chemical byproducts of industrial sources. It first appeared as little black spots on the lobster’s shell, but in recent years has become so severe in some cases, the shell will rot entirely.

The disease is caused by bacteria that attack the […]

What is the difference between a hard-shell lobster and a soft-shell lobster?
In the summer (generally July and August) lobsters shed their shells so that they can grow. Once the lobsters have shed their old shells, there are new, soft shells underneath. These shells will harden over the course of time and as the water gets […]