Lobsters in a pinch: teens dive in to help lobster conservation

Science World, Feb 18, 2008 by Susan Gaidos

That's good news for a New England way of life and for your dinner plate. "I feel a sense of responsibility in helping to preserve [lobsters]," says Tyler. "Not only for eating, but to keep them from dying off."

nuts & bolts

Lobsters begin their lives as tiny mosquito-size larvae. It takes seven to eight years for them to grow into adults. Protecting adult female lobsters helps to ensure a future generation of these crustaceans. Depending on their size, females can lay anywhere from 8,000 to 100,000 eggs. Mother lobsters spend 9 to 12 weeks caring for the eggs before releasing them to hatch in the ocean.

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To learn more about the fascinating lives of lobsters, visit: www.scholastic.com/scienceworld and click on "In This Issue."

PRE-READING PROMPTS:

* What do you think a newborn lobster looks like'? How can you tell the difference between a male and a female lobster'?

* What factors can cause lobster populations to decline? How might scientists and conservationists help protect lobsters?

DID YOU KNOW?

* A lobster molts up to 25 times in its first five years of life.

* Some people like to eat the gooey, green material inside a lobster. Called tomalley, it's really the lobster's liver.

* Lobsters don't have vocal cords.

CRITICAL THINKING:

* Lobster fishing is partly to blame for the decline of North Atlantic right whales. During the summer months, the habitats of these two species overlap in New England waters. Whales have become entangled in and badly injured by lobster fishing lines. What might be done to protect the whale population, yet ensure that lobster fishers can still make a living? For more information, visit: http://whales.org/enewsletters/april07.htm (see "Does Lobster Fished in Massachusetts State Waters Taste Sweeter?)

CROSS-CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS:

HISTORY: Lobster fishing has a long tradition in New England. Research the history of lobster fishing. Then write a short story from the point of view of a lobster fisher living in New England in the late 1800s or early 1900s. Include in your story a description of your boat, your work schedule, and how you fish for lobsters and sell them to make a living.

RESOURCES

* To learn about the anatomy of a lobster, visit: www.osl.gc.ca/homard/en/espece.html

* For photos, diagrams, and facts about lobsters, visit this Web site: http://njscuba.net/biology/sw_lobster.html

* For more information about the V-notch program in Connecticut, read "Female Lobsters Won't Get a Reprieve Just Yet," by Fran Silverman, The New York Times, February 4, 2007.

* Learn more about biologist Win Watson's work. Read the article at this University of New Hampshire Web site: http://unhmagazine.unh.edulsp04/crustaceans.html

* This Web site provides free Power Points and links to sites on marine studies: http://science.pppst.com/marinelife.html

* The "Oceans Animals" game found at this Web site challenges students to identify if a marine animal is a crustacean, a fish, or others: www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/kidscorner_games.htm