Intrepid diners who explore further find small chunks of meat inside the carapace, the hard shell or body of the lobster. Hard-core lobster lovers eat the latter two. It's the lobster's liver or more accurately, its digestive system. It's the roe, the unfertilized eggs of the female. Lobster eggs were once considered a delicacy, like caviar.
Filter feeders pump sea water, and any plankton or pollution it carries, through their bodies.
Any toxins in the water will be concentrated in their flesh. Meat eaters like lobsters, crabs, and fish do not filter plankton from sea water, so they are safe to eat during an outbreak of red tide. The Gulf of Maine Aquarium is proud to have earned the Bobby approved icon for this web page. We are working to bring the entire site up to accessibility standards, to promote full access to the web for all users. For more information about Bobby, please visit The Center for Applied Special Technology Updated February 23, 1999.