Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ page). Below, we have tried to answer the most common questions visitors to this our Web site may have about how we store and ship live lobster. If you would like more information, please email us rismith@klis.com or call us at 902-723-2380.

STORAGE AND SHIPMENT

The utmost care in both storage and handling is required to ensure lobster arrive to the market live and in good condition. R. I. Smith Lobster stores product in either a tidal pound or a tank house. many conditions must be closely monitored to make sure the lobster maintains good health while being held.

TANK HOUSES

Crates of fresh lobster are trucked to the tank house and then floated in a refrigerated water tank until being relocated either in the tidal pound or the tube system. To be placed in the tube system, the lobster is taken out of the crates and placed inside of a plastic tube. Several plastic tubes are housed together within a square-shaped cage. When the tubes have been filled with live lobster, the cage is placed into a concrete tank of refrigerated sea water.

The tanks are kept chilled at a temperature of between 36 and 38 degrees Farenheit. Maintaining this temperature slows the activity of the lobster so that it does not become stressed in the tube and therefore helps keep the lobster in good health. In order to ensure a good oxygen supply for the lobster, fresh air is pumped into the water through pipes along the bottom of the tank. Fresh and recycled sea water are filtered and aerated into the tank to provide good circulation and also supply an additional oxygen supply. Ammonia levels are checked daily in the tank to make certain that the filtration system is operating properly and the lobster is living well.

When the time comes for the lobster to be shipped to market, the cages filled with product are pulled from the tanks and the lobster is removed from the tubes. Product is then placed in wooden or plastic crates, typically in weights of 90 or 100 lb, and then floated back into the tank awaiting pick-up for shipment.

TIDAL POUNDS

A different process is involved if lobster is to be held in one of the tidal pounds. The lobster is released loose in an enclosed area of shoreline, allowing freedom to roam along the sea bottom. Oxygen and fresh sea water are supplied by the changing tides. When the high tide approaches, sea water fills the pound by flooding over the top of the pound dam. When the tide ebbs, sea water is retained by the dam to a depth of approximately 8 feet.

Water temperatures need to be closely monitored due to the fact that warmer water does not hold oxygen as well as colder water. Oxygen levels are supplemented by an aeration system which circulates air into the water in the pound.

A diet of salted herring and fish meal is usually fed to the lobster while being held in the pound. The feed is spread out into the water from a small boat or barge.

To remove the lobster from the pound, netted drags are towed behind small boats inside the pound. As the drags are filled with lobster, they are landed on a barge and the product is packed into crates. This process usually takes several days per pound.