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Economic contribution
rOCK LOBSTER life cycle
From a tiny egg being carried under the tail of a female lobster to a mature sized adult involves a long and complex journey in both time and distance. Mating usually occurs in April to July when the male transfers a packet of sperm to the female which is attached to the underside of the body between the last pair of legs. Straight after mating the female begins to spawn eggs through openings at the bases of the third pair of walking legs with fertilization occurring externally. Depending on the age and size of a female lobster the fertilized eggs can number anywhere from 100,000 up to 1,000,000 and are attached to the pleopods, or swimmerets, under the tail of the female. The female rock lobster carries these eggs for 4-6 months. The female lobster is referred to as ‘in berry’ or’ berried’ during this time and cannot be harvested by commercial or recreational fishermen in any State. The eggs eventually hatch and metamorphose into larvae and begin their complex journey to become a juvenile lobster at an unknown destination in 9-24 months time. The first stage after hatching only lasts a few hours and is called the naupliosoma. These larvae are active swimmers that make their way to the surface of the ocean where they reach the next stage termed phyllosoma larvae. The ocean currents disperse the phyllosoma larvae widely and this phase can last between 12 and 24 months. This stage is spent far out to sea beyond the continental shelf so ocean currents can carry phyllosoma hundreds or even thousands of kilometers from where it left the female lobster. At the end of this phase of being carried by the ocean currents phyllosoma larvae moult and metamorphose into a puerulus larvae. Refer to Figure 2 below for an overview of the life cycle for a Rock Lobster. Puerulus larvae are transparent, resembling miniature lobsters in shape but still live in the water column. They can swim forwards and travel up and down in the water column coming near to the surface at night and swimming deeper in the daytime. The puerulus don’t feed and their job is to travel from the deep ocean areas into the coastal reef where they’ll live as an adult lobster. They swim towards shore at night and the fortunate ones eventually find reef habitat. Finding reef triggers them to moult again turning at last into pigmented juvenile lobsters that live on the bottom and look identical to adults. This settlement of puerulus is very important and is monitored using specifically designed collectors placed in many locations around southern Australia. Only a very small number of the naupliosoma larva released actually reach the stage of settling as puerulus – and very few of these puerulus survive to become adults. By measuring the annual settlement of puerulus, fisheries scientists gain an indicator of future stock levels. From settling on the reef area as a puerulus, growth rate is slow because of the cool waters in which the rock lobsters live. Growth is also variable between regions so that it takes at least three years but sometimes more than 10-years to reach the legal minimum size a lobster can be harvested at. Being able to get advance information on changes in lobster stocks based on puerulus settlement helps in managing lobster stocks sustainably. Rock Lobster life cycle information sourced from www.southernrocklobster.com Where to buy Southern rock lobster
Northern Tasmania Kyeema Seafood George Town Seafoods Hursey Seafood Eastern Tasmania The Lobster Shack The Horny Cray Southern Tasmania Mures Tasmanian Gourmet Seafood Wilson's Seafoods Often, fishers will unload at ports such as Dover, Margate and Nubeena and sell off their boat. Follow the Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council social media pages to find out when and where. HOw to prepare
recipes
Southern Rock LObster FUN facts
Meet a southern rock lobster fisher
Brendon ‘Squizzy’ Taylor always loved fishing. From fifteen years of age, he knew he wanted to be a fisherman. He was the first in his family to enter the profession. He started as a deckhand on the 62’ fishing vessel, the ‘Bold Contender’. He worked his way through the ranks and was ultimately able to become the proud new owner of the Bold Contender. He has had an employee for 7 years and has helped develop his career and prepared him for a future in the industry. In response to the decline of the export market due to the COVID-19 pandemic and trade tensions with China, Squizzy began to sell lobsters directly off the boat at the Margate Wharf. The local community has helped to keep his business alive. Squizzy enjoys meeting people from all different walks of life, engaging with the local community and sharing stories with them. He has lived in the Channel area his whole life and has formed a strong connection with the community. In addition to selling lobsters directly off the boat, he has also teamed up with Tasmanian gourmet seafoods, a local restaurant and seafood retailer. Together, they provide fresh seafood to locations all across Tasmania from their food truck. He offers advice on how to prepare and cook lobster for those that are new at cooking with lobster. Customers often share their culinary creations with Squizzy. Squizzy also features on the hit tv show ‘Aussie Lobster Men’ that aired on 7Mate, Discovery and Foxtel. The show follows six fishing vessels and their crew on their pursuit to catch rock lobster in Tasmania. The show highlights the harsh conditions these fisherman face on a day-to-day basis and really re-affirms why Tasmanian Rock Lobster is considered a premium product. The show did not only promote Tasmanian Rock Lobster, it also promoted Tasmania as a tourism hot spot. Through Aussie Lobster men, the food truck and his connection to community, Squizzy has built up a strong following. He currently has over 10,000 followers on Facebook and is key player in encouraging the community to eat more Tassie seafood. |
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