Newfoundland and Labrador Opinion

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COMMENTARY: The oddest catch: Bizarre behaviours of the six species that built our coastal economy

We know them from wharfs, dinner plates and fish markets. From the icy waters of the Atlantic off Newfoundland and Labrador in the north to the southwestern bays off Nova Scotia and the Gulf of St. Lawrence in between, these six important commercial species have sustained generations of coastal families. But beneath that familiar surface, each hides behaviours so strange they could star in a nature documentary.

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The lobster that ‘pees’ from its face

Next time you crack a claw, consider this: lobsters communicate by urinating on each other. They have kidney pores just below their antennae, and a dominant male will spray a stream of urine toward a rival to establish rank. A female looking to mate returns the favour, releasing pheromone-laced urine into the male’s den to seduce him. They even carry urine sacs in their heads for this purpose.

So, when two lobsters seem to be “boxing” in a trap off Cape Breton, they’re often having a very weird chemical conversation. And if you’ve ever wondered why lobsters are kept alive until cooking — that urine trick is one reason they spoil so quickly after death.

The herring that ‘talks’ through farts

Atlantic herring travel in enormous shoals that once fed entire coastal communities and built fisheries in places like Lunenburg and Pictou. But........

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