Friendly Fins Discovering Lobster

Where we look for lobster

Lobster can be found both in the Mediterranean Sea and in tropical seas.

• In the Mediterranean Sea we will find it in rocky environments full of cracks. Our friend the lobster always hides in some crevice or at the entrance of some cave! During the day it always stays in the shade and generally over 20 meters, therefore in environments accessible only to divers with an advanced certification. Everything changes during the night, when it becomes very active and starts hunting, in this case it will be easy to see it running around on the seabed in search of food!
  

It will certainly be much easier to see these animals in Marine Protected Areas than elsewhere, as they are heavily fished.

• In tropical seas we will find it in the coral reef: its kingdom made of caves and crevices between one coral and another. Tropical lobsters can be seen even in the first meters of water, the younger ones in particular. This makes them visible to everyone: divers and snorkelers who, with a little apnea, can find them in their den while they rest during the heat of the day!
  

We may also find caves full of lobsters, as they occasionally decide to share their den with many specimens! A joy for the eyes!

Even tropical lobsters become fierce predators at night! They move very quickly in the darkness to hunt, then return to their den towards dawn.

Night dives are always fascinating because you see animals that are always hidden during the day and become active at night! Sometimes we ask ourselves: “where are all these animals hiding during the day that we never see around?!”

Lobsters

How can we observe the lobster

While snorkeling

While snorkeling we will not see the whole lobster, unless we are night snorkeling, but we will have to look for its antennae! The antennae stick out of its burrow and are often visible from the surface as thin rods sticking out of the coral! Now that is the sign that there is a lobster! So Friendly Fins, let's take a deep breath and go say hello!

We can also photograph or film it during our apnea but let's remember not to cling to the coral or lie on the bottom! In addition to causing damage to the environment, the coral is stinging and there are a lot of animals camouflaged on the bottom that, if bothered, could defend themselves!

While diving

While we dive it is easier to spot a lobster: the important thing is to sharpen your eyesight! Here too it is certainly easier to spot the antennae before the lobster itself. Let's approach slowly, without making sudden movements and they will not be scared and hide inside the den.

We must be very delicate underwater Friendly Fins! Only in this way can we create peaceful contact with the inhabitants of the sea!

During night dives, however, there will be no need to look for it because it will already be out hunting so we will surely come across it simply by lighting our path!

The underwater torch

The underwater torch must therefore be an integral part of the equipment, especially when we dive in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. If we want to find lobsters, the torch helps us illuminate caves and ravines, enhancing their colors.

It is also ESSENTIAL for night dives!

Touch the lobster or grab the lobster

It is a common and wrong practice to touch the antennae of lobsters and the lobsters themselves.

Let's see why:

The antennae of a lobster have a very important function both in communication and in the reception of external stimuli. With their antennae they can scare away predators, capture the pheromones of their peers and food, as if they “sniffed” the water!

When we touch the antennae of these animals, at best we have frightened and confused them, at worst we have damaged them, preventing them from carrying out their function.

It is not necessary to touch their antennae to get in touch with them, they are very shy animals during the day, so let's approach slowly and leave them their living space!

If touching them is a wrong attitude, tearing them off is much more serious. Without antennae these animals will meet certain death. Often lobsters are pulled out of their dens by their antennae to be able to fish them, the lobster in defense cuts off its antennae rather than die.

Sometimes we have seen lobsters without antennae and it is a great pity to see these animals mutilated. We would therefore like to transmit good habits and the awareness that every action corresponds to a consequence that we are often unaware of.

Let's respect the Friendly Fins animals and they will repay us by giving us extraordinary emotions!

Detail of the truncated antennae of a lobster

What Can a Friendly Fins do for Lobster?

We have already seen how we can behave with the lobster in a friendly and respectful way in nature!

Now let's see what we can do in everyday life for this splendid animal: unfortunately for him, his meat is very valuable but only a small part of it is eaten, that is, the abdomen.

In the Mediterranean, lobster fishing is regulated with a fishing ban from January to April inclusive and a minimum size to be able to fish it: carapace length of 9 cm.

To combat illegal fishing, many checks are carried out by the coast guard but we can also do our part, avoiding buying specimens that are “too small” and sold illegally.

We know that once on the fish counter it has already been caught, but by choosing only the “regular” specimens we will have made our contribution to combat illegal fishing.

How do you cook a lobster?

We don't do a cooking blog but it's right to know some notions about how to cook a lobster: it is transported and kept alive in crates full of ice; at the time of cooking, it is thrown alive into boiling water bringing it to an agony of 15 minutes.

We would like to point out that the lobster is an animal with a fairly evolved nervous system and therefore able to understand what is happening to it. Opinions are still divided on whether they feel pain or not but some countries like Switzerland have already defined very specific rules to be less “brutal” towards them.

Using methods that alleviate their suffering before cooking (anesthesia, stunning, etc.), and prohibiting transportation on ice but only in salt water.

In Italy there is no ban yet but many chefs have decided to adopt the Swiss line, proving to be willing to change this method, which has always been used.

Here now we are not talking about eating or not eating lobster, but about supporting the courage of some people to get involved to improve at least in part the condition of these animals.

Something to think about Friendly Fins…

Lobster

Let's stop talking about cooking, let's think about looking for lobsters in their environment!

Let's sharpen our eyesight in search of antennas!!!

Come and discover more about their world by clicking here!