[Colin Mackenzie]

Colin Mackenzie asked the Naked Scientists:
   
I live in California. I like lobsters. Why are there lots of lobsters in the Atlantic and none in the Pacific. Could they be introduced here and thrive, if not why not.

What do you think?

[Don_1]

There are lobsters in the Pacific.

Spiny Lobsters (No claws)
Red Reef Lobster (Hawaii) (Clawed)

[Geezer]

I can confirm that. My son-in-law catches them off Catalina Island quite often  []

[DavidB]

Just a thought, Homarus Americanus (North American Lobster) thrives in shallow waters. Most of the west coast gets very deep very quickly. So maybe just the environment prevents them from propogating. Another thought is that if they were introduced into the pacific and began to multiply, how would that affect the ecology, competition with opiellio crab and so forth.

[Adam]

I don't feel the answers here are actually answering the question that was posed here.

Here is the rundown.

The "lobsters" in the Pacific Ocean aren't actually lobsters.  They are unrelated crustaceans, that like shrimp and crayfish resemble the real thing, enough so to be called lobster by their common names.  This confusion has led to more than one lawsuit http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4728361/  In that case, a chain sells a shrimp-like crustacean and labels it as lobster, even got FDA approval as lobster is such a broadly used term in our society.

There have in fact been many documented cases in which lobsters were introduced to the Pacific, were able to live but didn't appear to procreate.  http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0004734

Lobsters live in very specific areas, they require cold, rocky water in shallow bays.  Maine is nothing but rocky, shallow, protected bays and has more coastline than all of California. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001801.html

Lobsters also migrant out into the open ocean each winter to get away from the storms and surf of winter that would otherwise smash them against the rocks.

In California one may surf as it's mostly unprotected shoreline with lots of surf and sandy beaches, Maine has quiet, tranquil waters surrounded by rocks and the lobster flee whenever that is about to change each winter.

In short, lobster just aren't adaptable enough to survive outside of their niche environment.

[Adam]

USDA not FDA whoops

[AZmarine]

There are no lobsters in the Pacific because you are stupid.  I used to catch them off the piers in San Diego with nothing more then rod, reel and baited hook

[Dale]

My ex was a lobster.  I've seen it.
She was from California and couldn't get a tan