ScienceDaily (Dec. 4, 2012) — Researchers in
Norway have recently succeeded in doubling survival rates among lobster larvae
under farmed conditions. This could boost populations of a species threatened
in the wild.
In
the early 1950s the Norwegian wild lobster catch amounted to about 1000 tonnes
per year. Today this figure has been reduced by 95 per cent. This drastic
decline has resulted in the release of juvenile lobsters as part of
sea-ranching programmes.
The
animals come from Norsk Hummer AS' facility at Tjeldbergodden. The company has
been working for something over 20 years, together with SINTEF among others, to
find the best system of farming this unique species.
Heat
is the key
"In
nature, development rates among lobster larvae are determined by water
temperature," explains SINTEF researcher Jan Ove Evjemo. "In spite of
the fact that a female lobster can produce as many as ten thousand larvae,
total production along the Norwegian coast is relatively low. This is due to
low water temperatures and high predation rates by other crustaceans and
fish," he says.
This
is why at Tjeldbergodden surplus heat from the methanol plant is used to create
optimal conditions for these fastidious creatures. If all goes to plan, they
will end their lives as well-nourished wild lobsters.
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