98 ABOUT LOBSTERS 



This choice of temperature seems to have been chosen 

 because the lobsters were noticeably active. It is lower than 

 the 60° F. used in the Danish experiments, but it is to be 

 questioned if an even lower temperature (40°-45°F.) might 

 not be even more effective. The lobsters would eat less, they 

 would move about less, they are less scrappy, and there 

 would be less dung, all of which would reduce the all-im- 

 portant oxygen consumption. One objection seems to be 

 that they are veiy sluggish in colder water. But since a lob- 

 ster regains his activity when he is taken from the water ( as 

 when a lobster is exhibited to a buyer), its sluggishness in 

 the water seems a small matter. Another objection is that 

 48° F. is approximately the temperature of the lobster as 

 unpacked from an iced shipping container. Lobsters react 

 strongly to too abrupt changes in temperature. It is possible 

 to kill a lobster by increasing the temperature too quickly. 

 On the other hand, they react less strongly to a decrease in 

 temperature. 



As far as can be seen, the " warm " storage has no 

 natural advantage for the lobster. The following is a 

 short summary of the disadvantages: 



1. The oxygen solubility of the warmer water 

 is small. 



2. The oxygen consumption of the lobsters is 

 fairly large. 



3. The amount of dung is proportionately 

 large and the decrease of oxygen in the water be- 

 comes even larger. 



4. By storing the lobster over a longer period, 

 the texture of the meat deteriorates. Feeding is no 

 help as it causes a still larger decrease in the oxy- 

 gen supply of the tank. 



5. The great activity of the lobsters is a disad- 

 vantage. 



Storage conditions at a low temperature (42° F.). 

 The five disadvantages found under " warm " storage 



