The Telson is the central tail fin at the end of the lobster’s tail. The outer fins are called Uropods, and together these form the tail fan.

The tail fin can be used as a paddle in what is called the Caridoid escape reaction, also known as “lobstering”, where an alarmed lobster will rapidly flex its tail, causing it to dart backwards!

The Telson is the central tail fin at the end of the lobster’s tail. The outer fins are called Uropods, and together these form the tail fan.

The tail fin can be used as a paddle in what is called the Caridoid escape reaction, also known as “lobstering”, where an alarmed lobster will rapidly flex its tail, causing it to dart backwards!

RELATIONSHIPS

The lobsters and crabs that we use in The Lobster Shop are all creel caught by responsible and experienced fishers. Over many decades we have built lasting relationships with these fully licensed creel fishers from up and down the North East coast.

BOATS OF JOHNSHAVEN

Historically, traditional creel boats were originally wooden cobble boats, or net fishing boats. These were then adapted for creel fishing as demand for lobster and crab increased.

These days, fiberglass Catamaran style boats are more popular among fishers due to their efficiency, sturdiness and increased capacity on board. The boats that land our shellfish are on the smaller side, less than 10 meters long, and tend to hug the coastline and go no further than about a mile out to sea for fishing.

There are a couple of key features on the Catamaran fishing boats here in Johnshaven. The line hauler acts like a winch and pulls the fleet of creels out of the water and onto the boat. The large working table on the aft is where the creel fleets are stacked before being dropped into the water. The table is also a good area to remove lobster and crab from creels, and to bait or rebait the creels so they’re ready to go again.

On the bow and the aft you’ll find the name and the registration number of the boat. Traditionally, boats were given female identities. Nowadays you’ll find all kinds of names! The numbers are important as these relate to the Port of Registry. Most of the boats here start with the letters ME. Can you guess which local port this relates to? Download the list of Fishing Boat Codes in Further Reading section below.

FURTHER READING

Download our list of Boat Registration Codes

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