The Carapace is the lobster’s protective shell. It protects the head and chest area of the lobster.
High levels of calcium contribute to the hardness of the shell, this comes from a process called biomineralization.
QUALITY AND CARE
When the lobsters arrive at the shed, every box is quality checked to ensure they meet our high standards of premium quality. The lobsters and crabs are then carefully stored in large fresh sea water tanks right up until preparation.
LANDING AND STORING THE CATCH
At sea, the lobsters are checked by the fisher using a gauge to make sure they are the right size. Any lobster below the minimum legal size which in Europe is a carapace length of 87 millimetres will be put back into the sea. In some areas, local fisher organisations may set a higher minimum.
Once caught, the lobster’s claws are banded with strong elastic to stop them from nipping the fishers and from fighting each other. They are stored in boxes on the boat, out of the sun and kept damp until they are landed on the same day.
When they are taken to the lobster shed, we measure them again and make sure they are of good health and quality before we commit to buying them from the fishers. Over a number of decades, we have built lasting relationships with fully licensed creel fishers from up and down the North East coast. The combined experience and trust ensures that every box from every landing meets our high standards of premium quality.
Once we have them, they are stored in large tanks and constantly monitored for wellbeing. Each tank has a constant supply of fresh seawater – and we can even put more oxygen into the water if needed!
The tanks and the racks give us the capacity to store lobster and crab by ‘grade’. We use wooden ‘Floaters’ to hold any lobsters that need special attention before they are released into the main tanks. We are always proud to show visitors around the lobster shed so please just ask!
