Then they are cemented to the swimmerets, where they remain for 10 to 11 months before the larvae hatch. Lobster larvae molt four times over a period of 10 to 20 days, depending on water temperature. All four larval stages swim swim near the surface of the water, along with the innumerable other tiny plants and animals known as plankton. In the first year of its life, the young lobster molts about 10 times and reaches a length of one to one and a half inches. It takes about six years for a lobster to reach a weight of one pound.
Humans are by far the most important predators that lobsters face.
Homarus americanus is intensely fished all along the northeast Atlantic Coast of Canada and the United States as far south as New England, and particularly in Maine. Due to increased demand, overfishing, and pollution, the demand for lobsters exceeds the supply, making lobsters an expensive luxury. The lobster shown above has its crusher claw on the right side, but the crusher is found on the left just as frequently. These are hard and bonelike in the male, but soft and featherlike in the female. It is transparent, and has huge eyes and a long spiny projection from its head.