Stress effect of different temperatures and air exposure during transport on physiological profiles in the American lobster Homarus americanus

AbstractHomarus americanus is an important commercial species that can survive 2–3 days out of water if kept cool and humid. Once caught forcommercial purpose and shipped around the world, a lobster is likely to be subjected to a number of stressors, including emersion and airexposure, hypoxia, temperature changes and handling. This study focused on the effect of transport stress and specifically at different animalbody temperature (6 and 15 °C) and air exposure during commercial transport and recovery process in water. Animals were monitored, byhemolymph bleeding, at different times: 0 h (arrival time at plant) 3 h, 12 h, 24 h and 96 h after immersion in the stocking tank with a watertemperature of 6.5±1.5 °C. We analysed the effects by testing some physiological variables of the hemolymph: glucose, cHH, lactate, totalprotein, cholesterol, triglycerides, chloride and calcium concentration, pH and density. All these variables appeared to be influenced negatively byhigh temperature both in average of alteration from the physiological value and in recovering time. Blood glucose, lactate, total protein,cholesterol were significantly higher in the group with high body temperature compared to those with low temperature until 96 h after immersionin the recovery tank.© 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.