Lobsters: Gangsters of the Sea

With fine color pictures and an immediate, informative text, this lively photo-essay captures the behavior of lobsters and their relationship with the people who catch them. Lobster trappers are farmers as well as hunters of the sea, according to Cerullo, and lobster conservation is as much a part of the story as catching, cooking, and eating lobster. Many of the photographs are close-up views taken underwater, showing lobsters at various stages of their life cycle. There are also pictures of the fishing industry that show people working on boats and in restaurants, preparing bait, and throwing young or pregnant lobsters back into the sea. Cerullo's style is informal and immediate. She explains that lobsters are known as "gangsters" because of their aggressive and territorial nature: they steal bait from traps and food from the homes of other lobsters. One ironic connection with people who have wrestled with shells and claws at the dinner table is that lobsters themselves are messy eaters.