Spiny lobster culture in Vietnam

[5] Spiny lobster has a complex larval development, with many developmental stages making it extremely difficult to raise seeds for aquaculture in a hatchery.

[6] Consequently, spiny lobster seeds are collected from the wild using purse seines, specially designed collectors, traps and divers.

[7] Large lobsters are commonly found in deeper waters and require divers to harvest them.

[2] After the lobster seed is sold to farmers, they are normally placed into sea cages and grown to adult size for harvest at about 1 kg.

[7] After settling, young lobster are quite aggressive competing for habitat and food, but as they become juveniles and sub-adults they are generally gregarious in nature being attracted to each other by con-specific chemical cues and have a diverse diet.

[2] The disease is likely to be induced by stress during handling and because of inadequate water quality conditions through long-distance transport from catching to farming locations.

First, the shells of sick lobsters slowly change from a natural blue coloration to brown and finally dies without feeding for weeks.

[3] Transport from the lobster farms, such as the ones located in Phú Yên, Khánh Hòa, Ninh Thuận, and Bình Thuận to trading centers in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, occurs in open, aerated seawater tanks on trucks and normally takes anywhere from 7 to 20 hours.

[7] However, farming lobsters allows for year-round supply and export that meets the high demand during off season, and thus Vietnam can sell at a higher market price.