Global warming has been raising temperatures all over the world, melting ice caps and increasing water temperature all over the world. Many marine animals are being affected by this increase in temperature.
How does global warming affect lobsters biologically?
Lobsters, from the Nephropidae family, are cold-blooded creatures. As the water temperature rises, their respiration rate increases due to their higher need for oxygen. Research data show that when water temperatures reach above 69 degrees Fahrenheit, the lobster’s demand for oxygen is more than the supply of oxygen available. When this happens, the lobster shows signs of physiological stress. Much of the lobster’s energy is used on respiration, leaving not enough energy for the lobster’s growth, energy storage, feeding and immune system. A new shell disease has been discovered that has relation to the temperature of the water. With increased temperature, there has been many more lobsters with this type of shell disease.
How does global warming affect the lobster population?
The temperature of the water did not decrease the lobster population but on the contrary, has increased the number of lobsters. In Maine, the lobster population increased. Researchers believe that they have risen for a number of reasons. One, the cod fish, a predator of the lobster, have been overfished recently in the New England area. Two, the migration to colder temperatures at higher latitudes, such as the Bay of Fundy on the Atlantic Coast, near Maine. The third is the the increased time of warmer waters make it easier for the lobster larvae to survive, also increasing their growth time.
However lobster has also turned to cannibalism due to the abundance of lobsters. The reason why lobsters have their claws banded in the tanks of supermarkets are because they have the tendency to attack and feed on each other if they are left in closed environments. In the year of 2011, Maine’s caught 104 million pounds of lobsters, but thirty years before, the lobster catch was only 23 million pounds. Researchers conducted an experiment where a juvenile lobster was tied to a piece of rope to see what would happen during the day and the night. During the day, it was mostly fish that attacked the lobsters, but at night, the predator had switched from fish to lobster. The frequency of encounters of lobsters is the main cause of this cannibalism, because they are aggressive in nature.
"Endangered Species and Habitats." Climate Change: The Effects on Ocean Animals. New England Aquarium, n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2013.
McLure, Jason. "Cruel New Fact of Crustacean Life: Lobster Cannibalism." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 03 Dec. 2012. Web. 04 Mar. 2013.
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