Abstract
American lobsters (Homarus americanus) have been hatched and reared at the Massachusetts State Lobster Hatchery, Oak Bluffs, Mass., since 1951. Individual lobsters have been held for as long as 10 years. Records have been maintained on seasonal occurrence of hatching, duration of the larval period, occurrence of molting with age and season, and rates of growth.The peak in hatching intensity occurs in late June or early July when water temperatures approximate 20°C. Time required for larvae to attain the 4th stage appears to be inversely related to temperature above 18°C, with less evidence of temperature‐dependence below this level. Molting frequency declines with age; lobsters molt approximately 9 times during their first growing season but no more than once annually by their sixth growing season. Molting occurs most frequently in early summer and again in early fall. Growth rates indicate that a period of 5 years from date of hatching is required for a lobster to attain legal marketable size—3 3/16 in. carapace length—in Massachusetts. Percentage increase in length per molt declines with age.
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