Bioactive compounds and seafood co-product valorization for sustainable lobster and snow crab bait development: a mini review

Abstract

The North American lobster and snow crab fishery is critical to coastal economies and for global trade. It is also heavily dependent on forage fish such as herring, mackerel, and squid as trap bait, consuming tremendous amount of them annually. This reliance exerts pressure on marine ecosystems, competes with human food markets, and raises sustainability concerns. Recent innovations have focused on developing alternative bioactive baits derived from seafood co-products, synthetic attractants and etc. This mini-review summarizes current advances in natural, artificial, and synthetic lobster baits, evaluates their efficacy, environmental and economic implications, and highlights future opportunities for developing nutritionally optimized, stable, and sustainable formulations.