Described by seafood gourmets as one of the choicest lobsters in the world, the American lobster resides in North America from Labrador to Delaware and is most prevalent in eastern Maine and the Canadian provinces.
Lobsters live in deep water in the fall and return to shallower depths in the spring.
Baited with fish and shellfish, lobsters are taken in wooden crate-like traps or pots sunk to the ocean floor and marked with a buoy. Lobsters caught and kept usually weigh from 1-5 pounds. Lobsters larger than 5 pounds are considered excellent egg producers and are generally thrown back to sea. Lobsters have dark, greenish black, greenish blue, or reddish brown shells that turn bright red when cooked. They have two large claws, the crusher claw being the heaviest of the two.