With their iconic large claws and sweet, tender meat, lobsters are one of the most prized seafood delicacies. However, with rising demand and historic overfishing, there are valid concerns about how many lobsters are left in the world. Understanding lobster biology and current fishery regulations provides insight into the future of these coveted crustaceans.
Key Lobster Species
There are numerous lobster species found in oceans worldwide. The most commercially important are:
- American lobster – North Atlantic coasts of the U.S. and Canada
- European lobster – Northeast Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea
- Spiny lobster – Global warm coastal waters
Lobsters thrive in cold waters. Warming oceans are reducing populations of species like the American and European lobster which prefer temperatures below 20°C. In contrast, spiny lobsters are expanding their range.
American Lobster Populations
The American lobster is the most heavily fished species representing over 80% of global commercial lobster landings. Over 150 million pounds of American lobster are caught annually with an export value over $500 million.
American lobster populations in the northwest Atlantic Ocean were severely depleted by overfishing in the late 1800s and early 1900s By the 1920s-1930s, landings declined up to 75% in some areas
Strict fishery regulations were implemented in the late 1990s including
- Minimum/maximum size limits
- Protection of egg-bearing females
- Limits on fishing gear
These measures allowed American lobster populations to recover substantially. In Maine, lobster landings now surpass early 1900s peaks, with some arguing stocks are at record highs. However, warming waters have caused lobster disease and die-offs in southern New England.
European Lobster Declines
The European lobster has faced more concerning population declines. A combination of historic overfishing, illegal harvesting, ocean warming and disease have reduced populations by an estimated 50-80% over the past 30 years. Scientists consider the species endangered and at high risk of extinction in the Mediterranean Sea.
Strict limits on gear types and increased minimum landing sizes have been implemented to aid conservation, but recovery is expected to be slow.
Spiny Lobsters: Growing Abundance
Unlike their cold water relatives, spiny lobsters are expanding their range in warming tropical seas near coral reefs and rocky bottoms up to 150 meters deep. Major commercial species include:
- Caribbean spiny lobster – Western Atlantic Ocean
- Shallows spiny lobster – Indo-Pacific region
- Painted spiny lobster – Indonesia and Philippines
Global spiny lobster landings now average around 120,000 tonnes annually and are increasing. Growing demand for spiny lobster may create sustainability concerns in the future, but populations currently remain resilient.
Outlook Varies by Species
When it comes to answering “how many lobsters are left”, the outlook depends greatly on the species. Cold water American and European lobsters face continued threats from climate change, disease, illegal harvesting and marine pollution. But strong regulations and conservation efforts currently keep populations stable, although abundance and range will likely continue shifting.
In contrast, spiny lobster stocks remain productive, with the capacity for continued growth. But maintaining sustainability will require precautionary management as fisheries expand.
While lobsters remain commercially viable seafood, consumers can support sustainability by choosing species-appropriate options, like American lobsters from northern fisheries or abundant spiny lobsters. Personally abstaining from eating egg-bearing lobsters and adhering to minimum size regulations also aids lobster conservation.
With smart management and consumer support, delicious, sustainable lobster can continue gracing dinner plates for generations to come. But staying informed on the status of varying lobster stocks is vital, as conservation needs differ greatly by species and region when it comes to maintaining these decapod icons.
Will lobster populations keep moving north?
“As climate continues to warm, fisheries will evolve. “Some species will move farther north, and new species will come in,” said Nancy Balcom, associate director and extension leader at Connecticut Sea Grant, in an email. In other words, Maine’s waters might not always be good for lobster. This means that the state’s lobster industry might end up in the same situation as southern New England’s.
From 1970 to 2010, Fisheries and Oceans Canada reported lobster landings rose from roughly 33 million pounds to more than 1.5 billion pounds. Hare said this trend is likely to continue, but it could be slowed down in coming decades by a natural climate pattern known as the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO).
The AMO is an ocean circulation pattern that brings warmed water from the tropics to higher latitudes. The circulation is stronger in some decades than others. Each cycle lasts 65 to 70 years. The amount of heat moving north in the western North Atlantic Ocean goes up and down during that time, as does the temperature of that ocean area and the edges of the continents that surround it. The AMO has been in a warm phase since the mid-1990s, which has made global warming have a bigger effect on North Atlantic temperatures.
Global Average Temperature compared with the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO) Index through 2009. The AMO Index is the average sea-surface temperature over the North Atlantic Ocean. The two parameters’ roughly parallel curves show that they are connected: the AMO both hides and highlights the rise in global temperature over time, which has happened at the same time as the rise in greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution. Credit: NOAA Climate. gov.
“In the past 20 years, the AMO has been warming and the climate has been warming. Hare said, “The Northwest Atlantic has been warming up really quickly.” He also said that scientists don’t know if that rate will continue when the AMO cools down. But it will still get warmer. The picture is pretty clear when you look at it over 100 years: greenhouse gas emissions make the air and ocean warmer. “In the 10 to 20 year timeframe, it’s more complicated,” said Hare.
A number of institutions—including NOAA Fisheries—are looking into how climate is affecting lobsters, said Hare. But the research done to date suggests the situation for lobster south of Cape Cod isn’t favorable. “North of Cape Cod, there’s still a lot of uncertainly,” said Hare in an email.
According to Wahle, some of that uncertainty is tied to the choices we make about carbon-based energy sources. Wahle wrote in an email, “At this point, we can’t stop the oceans from warming, but how much over the next 50 to 100 years will depend a lot on the choices we make today about carbon emissions.” The rising water temperatures will make it harder for lobsters to live in the southern New England coastal waters, even in the “best of circumstances.”
Even parts of the Gulf of Maine could see stressful levels of warming, he added. Where will the lobsters go?.
“We’re keeping our eye on Newfoundland and the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence as a new frontier for lobster,” said Wahle via email.
The worlds largest lobster sculpture located in Shediac, New Brunswick. Taken on 22 March 2006. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons user JAKclapclap47.
*[Correction: Jan. 5, 2017. The story first said that the Gulf of Maine’s sea surface temperatures were rising 99% faster than the rest of the world. The sentence was edited for clarity. ].
National Marine Fisheries Service: Annual Landings Data
Fisheries and Oceans Canada: Lobster
Balcom N, Howell P. (2006). Responding to a resource disaster: American Lobsters in Long Island Sound. Storrs (CT): Connecticut Sea Grant. http://seagrant.uconn.edu/publications/fisheries/lobsterpid.pdf
Doney, S., et al (2014), Ch. 24: Oceans and Marine Resources. Climate Change Impacts in the United States: The Third National Climate Assessment. U.S. Global Change Research Program, 557-578. http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/report/regions/oceans
Frumhoff, P. C. , et al. (2007). Confronting Climate Change in the U. S. Northeast: Science, Impacts, and Solutions. Synthesis Report of the Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment (NECIA). Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), Cambridge, MA. http://www. ucsusa. org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/documents/global_warming/pdf/confronting-climate-change-in-the-u-s-northeast. pdf.
Hare JA, et al. (2016), A Vulnerability Assessment of Fish and Invertebrates to Climate Change on the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf. PLoS ONE 11(2): e0146756. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146756
Jacobson, G. L. , I. J. Fernandez, P. A. Mayewski, and C. V. Schmitt (eds). (2009). Maine’s Climate Future: An Initial Assessment. Orono, ME: University of Maine. http://www. climatechange. umaine. edu/mainesclimatefuture/.
Jesica D. Waller, Richard A. Wahle, Halley McVeigh, David M. Fields. (2016) Linking rising pCO2 and temperature to the larval development and physiology of the American lobster (Homarus americanus). ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil; fsw154 DOI: 10.1093/icesjms/fsw154
Pershing, A.J., et al. (2015). Slow adaptation in the face of rapid warming leads to collapse of the Gulf of Maine cod fishery. Science, 350 (6262), 809 -812. http://science.sciencemag.org/content/350/6262/809
Phillips, Bruce. (2013). Lobsters Biology, Management, Aquaculture & Fisheries. Somerset: Wiley, 2013. Accessed via: Google Books.
Wahle, R. A., et al. (2015), American lobster nurseries of southern New England receding in the face of climate change. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 72: i69–i78. doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsv093
Can Lobsters Really Not Die of Old Age?
FAQ
How many lobsters are there?
How many lobsters are caught annually?
Is there a lobster shortage in 2024?
Where is the largest population of lobsters?
Where do lobsters live?
True lobsters are found in all but polar seas and the greater depths. H. gammarus, the European lobster, a dark greenish animal, occurs on rocky bottoms of the European Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean Sea. H. capensis, of the waters around South Africa, grows to 10 or 13 cm (4 to 5 inches) and is of little commercial value.
How many lobsters are there in the world?
While there is no exact number of lobsters in the world, it is estimated that there are approximately 75 known species of lobsters. These species of lobsters can be found in all oceans and play a vital role in the marine ecosystem.
What is the average length of a lobster?
The average length of an American lobster is 8 to 24 inches. An average male is about 9 inches long. The longest lobsters can reach 25 inches, making them also the longest decapod crustacean in the world. People recognize American lobsters by the large round claws. Each claw serves a different purpose.
How many types of lobsters are there?
Spiny or rock lobsters are a group of lobster species that lack large pincers. These lobsters have long, spiny antennae and smaller claws than their clawed lobster relatives. There are about 45 species of spiny or rock lobsters which are commonly found in shallow tropical or subtropical waters. Do Lobsters Live in All Oceans?