F R O M T H E C R O W E ’ S N E S T
Here and Canada
Food processing has come a long way since James Phinney Baxter canned lobster at Winter Harbor, Maine in the 1860’s. It’s also come a long way since the Twinkie of the 1960’s. Lobster handling however, has not changed much since the Twinkie made it’s appearance. It might be said lobster handling was easier on the lobster when it went to Boston in the cold, wet hold of a lobster smack in the 1860’s.
Raising the boat price for the fishermen who protect, feed, raise, and selectively bring lobster to market is “the” perennial problem for lobstermen.
It appears American lobster may soon be exclusively harvested from the waters of Maine and the Canadian Maritimes. The population of the planet is currently more than 7,000,000,000 (7 billion). Even if our beloved 1%’ers were the only consumers of American lobster, there could be a lot of market competition for Maine’s 100,000,000 (100 million) lb. catch on the world market.
Somewhere in this “point spread” there has to be a better profit margin for fishermen. A few processors are developing markets for high-end American lobster products. They need a strong product that travels well and goes through their processing system with consistent results.
Catching and early handling are in the control of the fishermen. If the demand by high-end processors were large enough the others who handle lobster would need to bring their practices up to speed with modern demand.
Lobster is already a high end product. The history of world trade in relatively rare wild foods has plenty of examples to support the notion that lobster could become the next beluga caviar, white truffle, or blue fin tuna. Those lobsters however will not be mushy shedders that have been bounced around in several different unrefrigerated trucks in July.
While supplying neighbors and the region with fresh seafood may be more socially rewarding the evolution of food technology, global markets, world population, the concentration of wealth, and international airfreight all indicate that in the not too distant future a lot of lobster may be served someplace else. That could make the current boat price a distant bad memory.
The question is of course, what can lobstermen do until the world comes knocking here and in Canada.