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

Homarus americanus is an important commercial species that can survive 2-3 days out of water if kept cool and humid. Once caught for commercial purpose and shipped around the world, a lobster is likely to be subjected to a number of stressors, including emersion and air exposure, hypoxia, temperature changes and handling. This study focused on the effect of transport stress and specifically at different animal body temperature (6 and 15 degrees C) and air exposure during commercial transport and recovery process in water. Animals were monitored, by hemolymph 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 water temperature of 6.5+/-1.5 degrees C. We analysed the effects by testing some physiological variables of the hemolymph: glucose, cHH, lactate, total protein, cholesterol, triglycerides, chloride and calcium concentration, pH and density. All these variables appeared to be influenced negatively by high t