lobster price

[gulf_of_maine]

Dropped to $3.00. run.

Reason: Maine is $2.25

Canada hard shell 3.25.

that is what the dealer is saying. Reports from fishermen seem to be different.

I've heard. Hard shell is anywhere from $4.25 to $6

firm new shell 1 1/2 and up is $4.00

2.25 is for junk not counting year end bonus.

The guys who sell split say the are averaging 3.75 lb

 

[Lobsterman]

Dropped to $3.00. run.

Reason: Maine is $2.25

Canada hard shell 3.25.

that is what the dealer is saying. Reports from fishermen seem to be different.

I've heard. Hard shell is anywhere from $4.25 to $6

firm new shell 1 1/2 and up is $4.00

2.25 is for junk not counting year end bonus.

The guys who sell split say the are averaging 3.75 lb

swan's island maine .We dropped to 2.55$ there is a jumbo brice but not shore what it is and there isn't a hard price

 

[nick4634]

3.40 straight down here on nh/me border. 3.00 down in south NH. Some dealers are doing 6.60 for select 2+ but nobodys catching many

 

[Lobsterman]

3.40 straight down here on nh/me border. 3.00 down in south NH. Some dealers are doing 6.60 for select 2+ but nobodys catching many

The inshore fishing around here is pretty much over for the season. I don't bother to go beyond the 3 mile line into federal water any more. To many regulations and with the lobster prices vs the bait and fuel prices it's not worth it to me. Some guys here are getting good hauls in deeper water. We haven't had much of a price all season. $2.80 for shedders $3.80 for hard.

 

[gulf_of_maine]

3.40 straight down here on nh/me border. 3.00 down in south NH. Some dealers are doing 6.60 for select 2+ but nobodys catching many

We were $3.40 last week. Canada opened and flooded the market. They caught more lobsters in a week than all last season. I don't catch much but I think my boat would sink if I put a seasons catch on my boat in a weeks time.

 

[nick4634]

haha ya I've heard of the Canadians doing 20 lbs a pot on overnight soaks. Down here in NH its finally picking up for the fall run but we're still only doing a 1lb a trap and the weathers turning bad

 

[thebridge]

South of Boston was $3.40 last week and was down to $3.00 yesterday.

 

[traditions]

3.00 here in midcoast maine,if we get what we think for a bonus.Wait till the 8th of November and see what happens.

 

[steveinak]

Funny how they go down in quarters and up in dimes ??

 

[Eastporter]

This past summer I was buying lobsters (soft and hard shell) for $3.99 lb. from the local Market Basket. As a consumer I love how inexpensive this is, yet as someone who cares about the lobstermen trying to make a living I feel badly. Please tell me where Market Basket buys from if you know. Are they from Canada or Maine? Do commercial guys sell to big wholesalers/retailers for less profit and make up in gross sales (quantity)?

 

[gulf_of_maine]

This past summer I was buying lobsters (soft and hard shell) for $3.99 lb. from the local Market Basket. As a consumer I love how inexpensive this is, yet as someone who cares about the lobstermen trying to make a living I feel badly. Please tell me where Market Basket buys from if you know. Are they from Canada or Maine? Do commercial guys sell to big wholesalers/retailers for less profit and make up in gross sales (quantity)?

Most the guys sell to wholesalers. There are a few that will sell their own. The president of Mass Lobstermans Assosiation will sell directly to a consumers. That way the wholesaler has to drop the price to compete and starts a how low can you go scenario. The only way for the average lobsterman to survive now is to catch volume. There are places that do catch big volume. Or you can do the sell your own and screw everyone else deal like the MLA prez does. And he represents the rest of us? Whats wrong with this picture? Sounds like he has a self forefilling relationship for himself. The regulation changes he and other long time representives have sponcered make volume catches near impossable in many areas. Alot of times Canada will force the price up. Like now.. Price is back up to about 3.75 in my area. If it wasn't for the Canadians we would probably still be a $3. Many of the commercial guys can't catch volume here so they pretty much quit for the year.

 

[Eastporter]

Thanks for the reply Gulf of Maine. Interesting how the lobster industry is currently set up. I have read a lot of news reports that global warming is real and increasing the average water temps. in the southern northeast region to rise to the point that lobsters don't want to live here. This is causing the lobsters to migrate to colder waters to the north (ME and Canada). Do you find this to be a trend that will drive lobstermen to follow the lobsters or just drive them out of business? Don't you think the limited supply and steady demand will increase prices for lobster and a better return for lobstermen? Do you think the lobster industry has been hurt by the bad economy from the U.S. or global markets (i.e. Asia)? I have read reports that Asia stopped buying lobsters and this created a saturated market in the US. Do you think this is fact or fiction?

 

[gulf_of_maine]

Thanks for the reply Gulf of Maine. Interesting how the lobster industry is currently set up. I have read a lot of news reports that global warming is real and increasing the average water temps. in the southern northeast region to rise to the point that lobsters don't want to live here. This is causing the lobsters to migrate to colder waters to the north (ME and Canada). Do you find this to be a trend that will drive lobstermen to follow the lobsters or just drive them out of business? Don't you think the limited supply and steady demand will increase prices for lobster and a better return for lobstermen? Do you think the lobster industry has been hurt by the bad economy from the U.S. or global markets (i.e. Asia)? I have read reports that Asia stopped buying lobsters and this created a saturated market in the US. Do you think this is fact or fiction?

"that global warming is real " Did you read that global warming was made up. It was disclosed when the founding scientis emails got hacked and made public. The new term to keep all the departments to tend to global warming open and using up the tax payers money is " climate change". If they were to give this event something a name, it should be called climate normalization. The enviorment is just returning to what would be concidered normal. There have been cycles in nature in the past so it would be hard to eliminate any reasoning that this is part of a normal cycle in nature which most definately include the location of lobsters. Water temperature often has nothing to do with where lobsters migrate. Water temps in Long Island sound during there last harvest bonaza has to be pretty warm. Probably temps not found in Maine. There are areas in Maine and Canada that have hugh harvest numbers and typicaly have in the past. If the numbers prove to be abnormaly high it could be for a few reasons. They would probably include regulation changes benifit those areas. There is a food source for lobster. There are less natural preditors protected by regulations in those locations. The lobsters are following their natural instinct for some reason which may include evactuating a area because they sence a natural disaster. Maine and Canada favor their resourse and give fishermen a prime concideration in reguards to boat placement and ability to change there boat size to adapt to the industry. In more populated areas , fishermen and their livelyhood have no special concideration. To change or adapt your boat can take 25 years in some harbors. Kinda takes the youth out of a person. The fishermen can no longer follow/chase lobster. They have to stay in there own area or obtain very costly permits to fish in federal sectioned waters etc. The by catch also has a economical effect. Species that use to be saved to sell can't anymore or even a seasonal switch to target other fisheries is no longer allowed by a simple permit process if needed for economic reasons. The abundant harvest may be merely as simple as regulation changes. Certain areas and structure will hold certain size lobster. 25 years ago a verage lobster may have weighed one pound. Some area landings were known to be 75% 1lb lobsters. Regulation changes now have made that size illegal to take. Those lobsters may migrate to the next envoirment for their new size which is up north and are caught in the next sheading. To many successive years have gone by that a small lobster should have reached legal size maturaty. Even those who favored the reg changes has to be wondering what is happening to all those small lobsters. I've never seen a reduction of small lobsters. I also never seen a increase in large lobsters. They must go somewhere.

 

[gulf_of_maine]

Thanks for the reply Gulf of Maine. Interesting how the lobster industry is currently set up. I have read a lot of news reports that global warming is real and increasing the average water temps. in the southern northeast region to rise to the point that lobsters don't want to live here. This is causing the lobsters to migrate to colder waters to the north (ME and Canada). Do you find this to be a trend that will drive lobstermen to follow the lobsters or just drive them out of business? Don't you think the limited supply and steady demand will increase prices for lobster and a better return for lobstermen? Do you think the lobster industry has been hurt by the bad economy from the U.S. or global markets (i.e. Asia)? I have read reports that Asia stopped buying lobsters and this created a saturated market in the US. Do you think this is fact or fiction?

" Do you think the lobster industry has been hurt by the bad economy from the U.S. or global markets (i.e. Asia)? I have read reports that Asia stopped buying lobsters and this created a saturated market in the US. Do you think this is fact or fiction"

I don't think the lobster price really recovered from 9 11 yet. Although prices have reached new highs probably 4 years ago @ $14lb to the boats, for the most part lobster is at historical lows. Inflation adjusted lower than great depression pricing. The amount of lobsters caught compared to world population is minuscule. I couldn't feed the people on my street if they had to depend on me for a food source. Using China as a excuse is a typical bla bla on the list of excuses why the price of lobster should be low. Everything else in the food supply has quadrupled/etc or more in price. People still seem to buy everything else.

 

[soldsoul4foos]

Everything else in the food supply has quadrupled/etc or more in price. People still seem to buy everything else.

That's true. Sour cream, butter, sugar,flour,everything has AT LEAST doubled in the last few years.

Sad...

 

[Eastporter]

Thanks for your intelligent answers. You obviously have a great deal of first hand knowledge- I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us. The answers are complex and have many variables it seems. Merry Christmas to you.

 

[gulf_of_maine]

Nova Scotia is voting tonight to move the boat price up to $5.00.

Nice and thank you Canada! Us Americans would still be fishing for $3.00 lobsters if you guys didn't force the price up.

 

[Downeaster]

I don't think the lobster price really recovered from 9 11 yet. Although prices have reached new highs probably 4 years ago @ $14lb to the boats, for the most part lobster is at historical lows. Inflation adjusted lower than great depression pricing. The amount of lobsters caught compared to world population is minuscule. I couldn't feed the people on my street if they had to depend on me for a food source. Using China as a excuse is a typical bla bla on the list of excuses why the price of lobster should be low. Everything else in the food supply has quadrupled/etc or more in price. People still seem to buy everything else.

I think that the killer was the Winter 2006 price spike. At the consumer level, lobster pricing is inelastic and much of the demand never resurfaced after that price hike. Couple that with our own economy collapsing shortly after, tightened lending, subsequent swings in the USD and non-USD currencies, the EU mess and I think that you pretty much have it.

One has to wonder if new highs in fuel and bait will be added to next year's explanation?

 

[soldsoul4foos]

My solution to not getting enough lobsta was getting 2 rec licenses for my boat.

 

[Downeaster]

My solution to not getting enough lobsta was getting 2 rec licenses for my boat.

There are a bunch of us chuckling over that - where do you live?