Gabriella Lobster set FREE!!!

I released Gabriella Lobster this week!



YAY! She's is now a free lobster.
The hatching female lobsters are released back into the harbor when they finish hatching their eggs.
We just drop the lobster over Central Wharf!


Our hatching females are lucky.
Because we caught these females and they had larvae, we tag them before we release them. We tag them my making a V-shaped notch ("V-notch") in a specific tail flipper ("2nd to the right from the middle").



We must use a specific shape on a specific part of the lobster so that lobster trappers know this is a PROTECTED LOBSTER!

V-notched lobsters are ILLEGAL to sell because they are hatching females. These lobsters must be released and never sold!

(This hatching female is ready to burst! Notice all the eggs she is protecting on her belly. You can also clearly see her V-notch. She's lucky!)


That does not mean female lobsters are illegal to eat. They are only illegal if the lobster is V-notched. Not all female lobsters are lucky enough to be caught and tagged by lobster researchers :(

V-notched lobsters will live long lives and will reproduce! V-notching is very important for keeping lobster populations high enough for them to be caught.



Lobster facts: Lobsters do not give birth! Instead, hatching females have their eggs stuck to their bellies. They protect them and maintain water flow over the eggs. They create optimal conditions for their eggs! This allows the majority of the eggs to develop and hatch well.