• Species Name: Homarus americanus
• Canadian lobsters are harvested across eastern Canada, from the five provinces that include Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec.
• Live lobsters range in color from brownish-rust to greenish-brown; all lobster shells turn bright orangey-red when cooked.
• Active lobsters should be powerful and their tails should curl, not dangle, beneath.
• Canadian/Maine lobster has a set of five legs including two front claws, one of which is large, flat and heavy while the other is smaller and thinner; Australian lobster does not have claws.

Maine lobster, also known as American lobster, is of the same species as Canadian lobster – Homarus americanus. They look same; and they are both cold water lobster, while Australian lobster is warm water lobster.

Maine lobster, as the name suggests, is caught off the coast of Maine. The sea temperature in Maine is higher than the waters in Canada, which causes the lobsters from Maine to be softer than their Canadian counterparts.Yes, the colder is the water, the harder shell is.

“Boston Lobster” is usually Maine lobster. In fact, no lobster originates from Boston. “Boston lobster” is widely known because for many years, Boston is the main port at North America. Tons of lobsters from Canada and Maine transit through there, labeled “from Boston”, then travel to many other parts the world. Afterwards, the boom in the airline industry in Nova Scotia has made Canadian lobster well known. Canadian lobster starts from here, to serve customers all year round.

If you are saying for “little lobster” when seeing the above mouth-watering dish, you might be talking about Crayfish.

Crayfish is popular in China and Sweden. Crayfish looks like mini version of lobster, with two mini claws as well, thus sometimes it is called “small lobster”. Lobster, whatever Australian or Maine or Canadian lobster, is seafood; crayfish is not lobster, not seafood. You can check below chart for some more ideas:

Crayfish (Procambarus)	Lobster (Homarus)
Inhabit streams and rivers	Inhabits oceans
Freshwater crustacean	Saltwater crustacean
Eat worms, insects, plants, etc.	Eat small fish, prawns, clam, snails, etc.
It’s found in all parts of world but mainly consumed in Sweden and China	Mainly live in Northern America, Australia, and Europe

Survivability duration, which makes Canadian lobsters easier to transport and distribute. Compared with Australian lobsters and Maine Lobster, thrive in colder temperatures, Canadian lobsters’ shells are harder and denser. With that, they can survive outside of water for around 72 hours. In contrast, soft-shell lobsters are harder to ship to stores because they lack the tough exoskeleton that protects them from jostling during storage.

Harder shells also bring richer meat with sweet taste. We would talk more about this in the following part.

As stated above, the water temperature is one of the main factors that affect the hardness of shell. The colder is the temperature, the harder shell is, and vice versa. Canadian lobster is cold water lobster, with hard shell. 

Lobsters shed and molt. Thus, even of the same species, there’s softer-shell and harder-shell lobster. If you squeeze the sides of a lobster’s body, the soft-shell lobster will yield to pressure, while the hard-shell lobster will be firm tightly packed.

Timing makes the difference on hardness. In order to grow up, when the current shell is too tight for the lobsters, they have to slip the current shell and let the new formed armor grow in. That process called “molting”. Adult lobster molt once a year, while juveniles molt several times. That is, if you find a lobster is of softer new shell, you find a lobster undergoing molting.

• Soft-shell lobsters are more common in Maine in the summer season. Hard-shell lobsters are more common in Canada, due to the weathers.
• As for transfer, soft-shell lobsters are weaker and suffer a high mortality, while hard-shell lobsters can arrive in great condition.
• Soft-shell is cheaper, because you might pay for the weight of in-body water. Hard-shell lobsters contain around 30% meat.

Absolutely! High nutritive value is also one of the features. Quick facts:

• Lobster contains just 1/10th of the saturated fats of white meat turkey, with cholesterol only slightly higher than salmon.
• Lobster contains Omega-3 fatty acids, which reduces the risk of heart attack.
• Lobster is one of the best proteins for people seeking to lower their fat or carbohydrate intake.
• Canadian lobster is high in vitamin B12, an excellent source of copper and selenium and a good source of phosphorus.

Canadian lobster is low in fat and carbohydrates and high in protein. It has less saturated fat, calories and cholesterol than lean favorites such as pork, extra lean beef, and white meat chicken. Referring to Health Canada and USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture), At less than 100 calories per serving (89% of those calories from protein and only 5% from fat), Canadian lobster is a great choice for any diet. 

By searching “lobster” in Canadian Nutrient File, you could see the detailed Nutrition Facts.

For Canadian lobster, all year round. However, In Canada, we stagger our lobster seasons throughout 41 licensed Lobster Fishing Areas (i.e. LFAs). So when you hear “lobster season is opening”, that means specific LFAs if opening. Landings peak twice a year, once in the period from April to June when the spring season opens, and then again in December after the winter fishery opens in southwestern Nova Scotia. Click the below poster, you can see these 41 LFAs.

For the purpose of sustainability, since the early 1870s, Canadian lobster harvesters and authorities took actions to manage the lobster fishery. The regulations now include planing where and when lobster is fished (i.e. LFAs), what lobsters cannot be fished (e.g. over-sized or under-sized, bearing eggs female, etc.). This integrated fisheries management approach also take advantage of the unique molting periods of particular waters. For customers, this helps us ensure the majority of our harvested lobsters are hard-shelled, which preserves the most ideal taste and nutritional value. 

The common criterion is hardness of shell.

Grade-A lobsters are of hard shell and most meat; and ideal for long-distance transit. The next is grade-B. Grade-B lobsters have film or medium hard shell. They are generally caught in the summer. 

However, that is NOT the only standard when you purchase; some might prefer softer-shell lobsters for the purpose of their menu. The easy-breaking shell and the water in the shell are good for soup and pottage.

Culls are lobsters with only one claw, or one of the claws is too small to be functional. That may be caused by the reason of natural or ship.

Yes, if you take a closer look, you may tell that two claws of lobster are of different functions. One is called Crusher claw, which has large, rounded, molar-like teeth, is considered the dominant one. Crusher claw is characterized by their ability to sustain long, strong contractions; it’s an ideal tool for lobsters to catch and hold prey. Another one named pincer claw has serrated edges with great tufts of sensory hairs lining the sharp. Pincer claw is characterized by rapidity, but is less able to sustain contraction for a long period of time; with the serrated edge, it’s ideal for breaking foods.

Interestingly, just like “right-handed” and “left-handed” human, there is “right clawed” and “left clawed” lobster. Some lobsters’ crusher claw is right, while some are left.

Culls are offered for the domestic market and local customers only. If you are looking for a good deal, go buy culls. Culls are ideal for the customer who purchases lobster for meat, or does not really care about presentation. For instance, you are a fan of lobster salad or lobster roll, culls are for you, at a lower cost. 

If you are business – tanks with simulated sea water is mandatory, unless you can guarantee all lobsters were sold or distributed upon arrival.

If you are customer – we always suggest cooking your lobsters the day they are delivered. If no, keep live lobsters in the refrigerator for up to 36 hours, with the original packing. NO RINSE; the water from faucet is not the same water as where lobsters grow up. NOT FREEZER; the temperature there is too low. Periodically check up on your lobsters. If the lobsters are still moving, you may delay cooking, but if they begin to show little or no movement, they need to go right into the pot.

NOTICE: Leave the rubber bands on the claws even while cooking! It pinches.

It really depends on you – Steam, boil, deep fry, stir-fry, etc. Search in cookbooks or on the Internet – you will see many shared recipes. The fact is, everyone can enjoy cooking lobsters and turn them into a delicacy in a way you like. See what our customers share with us!