How to Starting a Lobster Farming Business

The idea of raising lobster on lobster farms is becoming more and more popular as the food demand increases and people need local suppliers to meet this demand. Lobster sources in Maine and Florida are not the only place to grow this profitable crop. Here is how to start your own lobster farm to supply the local population with the seafood it craves.

Instructions:

Step 1

Choose a breed of lobster for your farm. Some breeds are more conducive to being farm raised in some parts of the country than others. For instance, spiny lobster is better in a warmer climate and environment than the cool-water Maine lobster.

Step 2

Look for a supplier of larvae. Lobster larvae are available from certain coastal regions. The spiny lobster is currently being tested for farms, and larvae are presently collected in warmer coastal regions such as Puerto Rico and southern Florida.

Step 3

Select a location for your lobster farm. Be sure you have access to good clean water and a nice flat plot to facilitate the placement of the troughs. Be sure the location is close to your supplier so you minimize loss from transport. Stay away from highly industrialized parts of the country where runoff from factories and production plants could contaminate the water in which you raise your lobster crop.

Step 4

Establish a good filtration system on your farm system. All varieties of lobster need a decent filtration system in place to keep your lobster farm from disease. Attempt to establish a passive filtration system to minimize the ecological impact of your farm as well. Supply aeration as well to ensure you have a healthy lobster crop.

Step 5

Provide a properly balanced diet to the lobster. Lobster feed is currently being developed in Norway, and farms have been generally successful in substituting cod feed.

If you want to own a lobster farm, you will need to determine the different species and pick one that you can raise comfortably. You will need to know about proper feeding and maintenance so that the lobsters will grow quickly.

Find potential clients so that you can market the lobsters with ease and earn profits.

The Opportunity

Lobsters are pricey whether you purchase them locally or in the international market. This is a highly-priced marine crustacean. These crustaceans can only be caught using gill nets and since the stocks are dependent on the catch, the price is really high. If you live in the coastal areas, you might want to invest in a lobster farm. Lobster farming is viable and lucrative so you will surely earn a lot of profits.

The Different Species

As you can see, gourmet meals will remain incomplete without the lobsters. You need to be area that lobsters have 3 species – tiger lobster, bamboo lobster, and the adik-adik lobster. The appearance of these species also varies; as the name suggests, the tiger lobsters have spotted legs while the bamboo lobsters have striped legs that appear like that of bamboos. The adik-adik is reddish black in color. If you’re into lobster farming, you can opt for the tiger or the bamboo since these are the two most common species being farmed today.

Choosing the Site

The site of the farm is vital. It should have sandy ground and temperate water current. During low tide, the water’s depth should be maintained at one meter and the water should have high salinity like marine water. You will need to construct a pen. 200 fingerlings of lobsters should be placed in a pen that is 20 sq m. If you want to monitor the lobsters easily, you can place the pen near your house. For the pen’s corners, you can use bamboo poles. Get a plastic net and enclose the bamboo. To ensure that the lobsters won’t be able to escape, the ground should also have a net. Since the pen will be encountering strong waves and current, you should construct firm walling and corners. The top portion of the pen can be covered using bamboo slats. It should have a small opening for purposes of feeding and especially for harvesting.

Stocking and Harvesting

The fingerlings should be weighed regularly. You can stock 10 lobsters weighing 150-200 grams in a 1-sq meter pen. To prevent defacing, the lobsters should be dropped carefully into the pen. Make sure that you do this when it’s high tide. Pick the one having the same sizes because these crustaceans are carnivorous. If you mix the small and large lobsters, the smaller ones can get eaten. Harvesting can be done after 6-10 months when the lobster is already 900 to 1,000 grams. You will need extra help if you maintain several pens.

Tips and Warnings

Lobsters tend to be cannibalistic, so be sure to allow enough space for development or keep them in individual troughs.

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Tuesday, March 11, 2014