Malacostracans · Decapoda · Nephropidae

Norway Lobster

Nephrops norvegicus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The Norway lobster is a decapod crustacean of the family Nephropidae, similar to the European lobster, which is also a nephropid. It is an edible species much prized for its flavour.

Size

up to 25 cm

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanCarnivore Solitary Ocean Crustacean

10countries 18parks 47dive sites2same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt lives in burrows it digs in the mud and comes out to hunt only at dusk.
It is one of the most valuable fishery resources in Europe. It is also sold as Dublin Bay prawn or scampi.
It lives in burrows it digs in the mud, and that makes it possible to survey without fishing: surveys count burrows using underwater television cameras, applying the rule of one animal per burrow.
That method has its margin of error, because not all the animals are out at once: some act as doorkeepers waiting at the mouth of the tunnel and others emerge completely, depending on the time of day.
Mediterranean males produce sperm all year round, and the smallest mature individual on record had a carapace of 18.3 mm.