EXPERT TOPIC
LOBSTER
EXPERT TOPIC Lobster
The elusive cultured lobster by Daniel Jackson, Production Editor, International Aquafeed
S
o pronounced are the paralells between human and lobster, the Canadian clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson dedicates a chapter to the crustacean in his bestselling self-help book, 12 Rules for Life. We can learn a lot about ourselves from the humble lobster, he says, and I’m inclined to think he’s right. The ability to co-operate effectively in large numbers is what puts us at the top of the food chain, and co-operation is essential if we are to obtain an elusive prize – the cultured lobster. The challenges the species presents to the aquaculture industry are varied and will require input from all its constituent parts. From innovations in the manufacture of durable netting to research in feed formulation. Efforts to pull these various strands together are currently underway, but there is still much to learn and several obstacles to overcome. For example, it is not even known at present what juvenile European lobsters eat (though in captivity the answer seems to be ‘pretty much anything that drifts by’).
50 | August 2019 - International Aquafeed