The Pictou Lobster Hatchery is a part of the Northumberland Fisheries Museum and is the only operational lobster hatchery in Canada that is accessible to the public. You can see Stage I to Stage IV lobster larvae at the hatchery and you can even adopt your own baby lobster!
To visit the Lobster Timeline is free, however if you want to visit the hatchery it is by donation.
Visiting hours during the spring and summer are:
Hours:
Monday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Tuesday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Saturday Closed
Sunday Closed
Did you Know?
The largest record lobster caught weighed 44 pounds (20 kilograms) and was caught off the coast of Nova Scotia.
Females lobsters carry their eggs on the underside of their tail and carry 10,000- 20,000 eggs for 9-12 months.
Lobster Larvae Timeline
Stage I larvae are the smallest stage. They are 8mm long and weigh 8mg.
The larvae are about 1 day old and will remain at this stage for a couple of days.
After 4-6 days, the larvae will molt to Stage II.
They will grow to 9mm in length and to a weight of 14mg.
The telson (tail) is larger than seen in Stage I, but the most distinguishable characteristics are the pleuropod buds that have developed on the underside of the tail or abdomen.
Stage III usually occurs 9 days after hatching. The larvae are 11mm long and weigh about 25mg.
Stage IV They can swim forward with their largest set of claws straight out in front of them and are able to actively chase other larvae.
Approximately 14 days after hatching, Stage 1V larvae are approximately 18mm in length and 45mg in weight.
They look more like an adult lobster than the previous stage.
The uropods are more developed on the tail, and the chelipeds (large, first set of claws) have become more distinguishable from the other pereiopods.
More interesting information:
HATCHERY PROCESS:
With increased water temperatures the eggs under the lobster's tail become more and more developed.
Once they are fully developed they will hatch as Stage I lobster larvae.
In order to grow, lobsters must shed their hard shell, or molt.
After about 3 days, the Stage I larvae molt to Stage II, which are larger and have developed pleopods under their tail.
The larvae molt to Stage Ill at approximately 8 days.
They are larger, with a fanned out tail.
For the first three stages, the larvae are very vulnerable and float around in the ocean column.
Only about 0.01% will survive in the wild.
Stage IV is an important transitional stage in the lobster's life cycle.
They are now able to actively swim away from predators, and most importantly, they settle to the bottom of the ocean where there is plenty of rock and cobble to hide.
They actually look like a little lobster!
It takes 14 days for larvae to reach Stage IV at the hatchery.
To get to this stage in the wild, it takes 4-6 weeks, which means more chances to get gobbled up!
We gather Stage IVs from the Larvae Tanks, and give them to local fishermen to release in areas where there have been declines in lobster catches.
It takes 6 - 8 years for those Stage IVs to become a catch-able size!
Life Cycle of the Lobster
Lobsters with eggs are called berried lobsters.
Egg-bearing lobsters are delivered to the hatchery by fishermen with a special license to catch them. Fishermen are not permitted to keep berried lobsters under their normal fishing license.
The lobster gestation period lasts approximately two years.
When the berried female releases its eggs, it will bend its tail backwards and fan its swimmerets.