New research suggests that a way to know a lobster's age is to count its rings.
Until now, nobody knew how old a lobster was and how old it could live to be.
Researchers at the University of New Brunswick found that lobsters and other crustaceans grow one ring per year, said Slate.
The finding is important for the fishing industry as previous measurements simply used weight and size.
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"Having the age information for any commercial species will definitely improve the stock assessment and ensure sustainability," Raouf Kilada, a research associate at the University of New Brunswick said while presenting his work at a scientific conference, reported the Associated Press.
It was previously believed that when crustaceans molt, they shed their shells and anything that might signify their age.
Not true says the new research which looked at lobsters, crabs and shrimp.
The finding was published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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