I chose this species as I enjoyed a previous visit to the Lobster Hatchery at North Berwick, but was shocked at how few baby lobsters reach adulthood. I was impressed by the work that the hatchery does of “hatch – rear – release” to enhance the wild populations of Lobster.
European lobsters (Homarus gammarus), live in rocky or sandy habitats in our shallow coastal waters, about 40m deep.
They are invertebrate marine creatures, with 10 legs, and have a large pair of claws on their front limbs. The larger, blunt one is used for crushing prey; the smaller sharper one is used for holding or slicing prey.
They eat crabs, molluscs, urchins, starfish, and fish, hunting at night using their long antennae and hairy feet.
They must moult their hard exoskeleton to continue growing. This may occur several times a year for young lobsters, but decreases to once every 1–2 years for larger ones.
The female lobster can mate from 5 to 7 years of age, and then the “berried hens” carry thousands of eggs underneath her abdomen for 9-12 months before hatching into larvae. Unfortunately only a tiny fraction of the larvae will survive through their first planktonic stage.
The European Lobster is a highly esteemed food, and is widely caught using lobster pots, mostly around the British Isles.
Increased fishing pressure, habitat destruction, pollution and limited controls on the fishery can all put stress on lobster populations in Scotland.
My monoprinting was done by mixing oil pastel and oil onto an old piece of greaseproof paper, then drawing on the back so it transfers onto plain paper.
