feel pain when you cook them?
The nervous system of a lobster is very simple – not
unlike that of an insect. Neither insects nor lobsters
have brains. For an organism to perceive pain it must
have a more complex nervous system. Neurophysiologists
tell us that lobsters, like insects, do not process
How can you minimize the movement
of a lobster when its placed in a cooking pot?
A few seconds after a lobster is dropped in boiling
water it will begin to twitch its tail. The tail movement,
which can continue for about one minute, is part of
a reflex action found in lobster known as the escape
response – it is a reflex action to any stimulus. We’ve
found the most effective way is to minimize the lobster’s
movement time is to chill/ice it before dropping it
in water that has come to a rolling boil.
What is the white “goop” you
find in the lobsters and the water after you cook them?
This is the hemolymph, often referred to as the blood
of the lobster.
What is the red stuff you
find inside along the tail of cooked lobster? Can you
This reddish “coral” as it is called is lobster roe
or eggs. Some consider it a gourmet treat.
Do lobstermen fish all year?
Fishing regulations vary from state to state in the
U.S., and district to district in Canada. In Maine,
lobstermen can fish year round. However, lobsters are
less active as water temperature drops. For more information,
please visit The