As the lobster season starts in Swedish waters, the authorities are asking fishermen to watch out for the invasive American lobster.
The Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management is taking this seriously, and wants anyone who catches an American lobster to report it right away to the Marine Fisheries Laboratory (the number is 010-478 40 48). While American lobster has been found in Swedish waters, with 36 identified since 2008, it appears to have not established itself.
‘American lobster (Homarus americanus) originally comes from the east coast of North America. It is fished and exported alive to other parts of the world – including to Sweden,’ an agency spokesperson said.
‘We need to prevent American lobster from establishing itself in Sweden because it can carry infectious diseases and parasites that can spread to the European lobster (Homarus gammarus). Some examples are the bacterial disease Gaffkemia, which is 100% fatal for European lobsters, there’s shell disease, which can cause major damage to the shell, and parasites that eat the eggs of our native lobster.‘
American lobster has a similar environment as the European lobster and can therefore compete for habitat and food if it becomes established. In the Skagerrak there are examples of interbreeding between American and European lobsters, but it is not known what the consequences could be if hybrids between the two species spread to Swedish waters.
‘If you think you may have caught an American lobster, contact Marine Fisheries Laboratory in Lysekil. They are prepared for this. Put the lobster in a plastic bag, keep it cold and hand it in to the Sea Fishing Laboratory, alternatively store it in a refrigerator until the Sea Fishing Laboratory staff can collect it,’ the Agency’s representative said.
