'Supermum' lobster has posh eaters excited

GIVING birth to 50,000 offspring and then leaving them to fend for themselves might not sound like "supermum" behaviour.

 But that's the term scientists at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in Townsville are using to describe the first captive raised lobster to successfully produce larvae. 

They have good reason to be happy with the achievement - it marks a major step forward in efforts to establish a lobster aquaculture industry.

AIMS Principal Research Scientist Dr Mike Hall said successfully breeding with captive-raised lobsters had proved impossible in the past and the institute had achieved a world first.

"This is going to grab considerable interest around the world" he told AAP.

The development could help lead to not only large scale captive breeding but also better looking and tasting lobster, he said.