The Lobster Institute is willing to act as a monitoring point for problems in the fishery or in the market. If you observe problems with lobsters that don't appear right to you, i.e., showing strange behavior, showing signs of environmental contamination, or shell disease, please notify the Lobster Institute immediately so we can try to track down the source of the problem. Back to Beginning R esearch R eport Readers may contact the Lobster Institute for more detailed information on any of the projects reported. Dr. Deanna Prince, a Research Associate at the University of Maine working with the Lobster Institute, and student researcher Christina Congleton conducted preliminary research over the summer on the blood serum of lobsters in an attempt to identify stress indicators. Glucose and PH levels seem to have produced the most relevant findings to-date.
Tests show blood sugar elevates with stress and declines over time with the removal of stress.
The types of stress applied were time out of the water and elevated water temperature. Pesticide and disease stress may be tested in the future. Also planned is a look at winter sampling as well as a focus on lobsters at similar growth stages. Two undergraduate students are now working on the use of hand-held glucose monitors, similar to those used by diabetics, to conduct the sampling. The Institute is also looking into expanding the research, in conjunction with the University s Electrical Engineering department, to develop biosensor technology to both identify and verify stress indicators.