Lobster Prices Tank

[Soup]

Past saturaday, the local korean grocery was selling them for $4.99/lb. Bought a bunch, invited people over and good time was had by all.

[Peter the eater]

Lots of trucks around selling lobsters for NYE. At the Kent Hardware store parking lot the going price is $5/lb.

I would be interested to see how much total consumption has increased compared to last year.

[sickchangeup]

In Chinatown, nyc today, bought 2 nice 2 pounders at $6.65/lb.

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That's a really good price. After checking the super pricey Citarella last week (12.99/lb for large, 9.99/lb for small), I checked the Lobster Place (still pricey, but much less so) and it was 7.99 a pound, all sizes (he said come Wednesday for the big boys). Pretty insane price for the middle of Manhattan at a high endish food place.

[docsconz]

Hannaford's sold out of 1-1.5 lb lobsters quickly at $4.99/lb and 1.5+ pounders at $5.99/lb. The nearby Price Chopper still had plenty at $7.99/lb and up.

[qrn]

That is interesting....Was at Whole foods two days ago and was gonna get a couple of tails for snacks... they were a bargain...$49.95 per pound....one mid sized was $27...passed

Today bought two real small tails and weighed them when I got them home,,,they were .38 lbs....A bargain for $12 (only $36/ lb)

I am jealous of you who are not near the snowy Rockies......

Bud

[docsconz]

Bought 1.5-2lb lobsters today at Hannaford for $4.99/lb. I plan on making them with pasta, garlic, parsley, saffron, clams and Maine shrimp.

[Beanie]

Bought 1.5-2lb lobsters today at Hannaford for $4.99/lb. I plan on making them with pasta, garlic, parsley, saffron, clams and Maine shrimp.

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Lucky you. I called six Hannaford stores on 12/31 and they were all sold out. Maybe I'll try again this weekend.

Edited to add that I just saw your previous post on 12/31. Glad you were finally able to get them.

Edited January 2, 2009 by Beanie (log)

[docsconz]

Bought 1.5-2lb lobsters today at Hannaford for $4.99/lb. I plan on making them with pasta, garlic, parsley, saffron, clams and Maine shrimp.

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Lucky you. I called six Hannaford stores on 12/31 and they were all sold out. Maybe I'll try again this weekend.

Edited to add that I just saw your previous post on 12/31. Glad you were finally able to get them.

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They were going quickly again. I wasn't really planning on getting lobsters, but when I saw them at that price, I couldn't resist.

[docsconz]

Bought 1.5-2lb lobsters today at Hannaford for $4.99/lb. I plan on making them with pasta, garlic, parsley, saffron, clams and Maine shrimp.

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Lucky you. I called six Hannaford stores on 12/31 and they were all sold out. Maybe I'll try again this weekend.

Edited to add that I just saw your previous post on 12/31. Glad you were finally able to get them.

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They were going quickly again. I wasn't really planning on getting lobsters, but when I saw them at that price, I couldn't resist.

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see here for what I did with the lobsters.

With expensive lobsters it is hard to justify doing anything but serving them simply. However, at this price I felt unconstrained. I was going to use the lobsters, the shrimp and the clams in a pasta dish. I already had everything else I would need at home. When using lobsters for anything other than srved in the shell, I like larger lobsters as they more efficiently provide their meat. It is conceivable to retrieve usable pieces from the carapace, the tail fins and even the individual legs. Indeed I was able to secure as much of the meat as possible from these lobsters.

[Beanie]

Bought 1.5-2lb lobsters today at Hannaford for $4.99/lb. I plan on making them with pasta, garlic, parsley, saffron, clams and Maine shrimp.

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Lucky you. I called six Hannaford stores on 12/31 and they were all sold out. Maybe I'll try again this weekend.

Edited to add that I just saw your previous post on 12/31. Glad you were finally able to get them.

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They were going quickly again. I wasn't really planning on getting lobsters, but when I saw them at that price, I couldn't resist.

←

see here for what I did with the lobsters.

With expensive lobsters it is hard to justify doing anything but serving them simply. However, at this price I felt unconstrained. I was going to use the lobsters, the shrimp and the clams in a pasta dish. I already had everything else I would need at home. When using lobsters for anything other than srved in the shell, I like larger lobsters as they more efficiently provide their meat. It is conceivable to retrieve usable pieces from the carapace, the tail fins and even the individual legs. Indeed I was able to secure as much of the meat as possible from these lobsters.

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It looks delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe and technique. (The ingredient list should state 9 oz. of shrimp, not 0.9 oz. )

[docsconz]

Bought 1.5-2lb lobsters today at Hannaford for $4.99/lb. I plan on making them with pasta, garlic, parsley, saffron, clams and Maine shrimp.

←

Lucky you. I called six Hannaford stores on 12/31 and they were all sold out. Maybe I'll try again this weekend.

Edited to add that I just saw your previous post on 12/31. Glad you were finally able to get them.

←

They were going quickly again. I wasn't really planning on getting lobsters, but when I saw them at that price, I couldn't resist.

←

see here for what I did with the lobsters.

With expensive lobsters it is hard to justify doing anything but serving them simply. However, at this price I felt unconstrained. I was going to use the lobsters, the shrimp and the clams in a pasta dish. I already had everything else I would need at home. When using lobsters for anything other than srved in the shell, I like larger lobsters as they more efficiently provide their meat. It is conceivable to retrieve usable pieces from the carapace, the tail fins and even the individual legs. Indeed I was able to secure as much of the meat as possible from these lobsters.

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It looks delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe and technique. (The ingredient list should state 9 oz. of shrimp, not 0.9 oz. )

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Thanks!

[KarenDW]

$10.99/lb at Great Canadian Superstore on the 31st Dec., and dungeness crab at $6.99.

These are pretty low prices for Vancouver.

And me, on the way to somewhere else, without a container.

[CaliPoutine]

6.99lb Today, tomorrow and Wednesday.

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I just happened to be in the grocery store on New Year's Eve and they were all sold out. I've never seen that before in my small town.

[johnnyd]

Local Portland, Maine, news has a story about a rise in lobster prices owing to most lobstermen pulling their traps into storage and ending the season. I'll see if I can find out more and add a link if possible.

This means the low prices are coming to an end. If you haven't taken advantage of this yet, better hop down to your fishmonger and get cracking.

[johnnyd]

Lobster Prices Rebound - Portland Press Herald - 1.8.09

[docsconz]

Lobster Prices Rebound - Portland Press Herald - 1.8.09

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With the holidays behind us and the economy still in the doldrums, I don't see much demand for lobsters in the near future if prices do go up. The supply may shrink increasing price pressure, but I just don't think the demand will support significantly higher prices right now. I think that means we won't be seeing (or eating) too much lobster in the near term depending upon what the prices rise to.

[johnnyd]

Lobster Prices Rebound - Portland Press Herald - 1.8.09

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With the holidays behind us and the economy still in the doldrums, I don't see much demand for lobsters in the near future if prices do go up. The supply may shrink increasing price pressure, but I just don't think the demand will support significantly higher prices right now. I think that means we won't be seeing (or eating) too much lobster in the near term depending upon what the prices rise to.

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I just remembered that prices were the highest they had ever been just last spring - way over $12 a pound. Something about cooler waters keeping them off shore, the fuel prices and some sort of seasonal closure overlap. Pounds that weren't frozen were the only source of lobster.

How far we swing!

Edited January 9, 2009 by johnnyd (log)

[docsconz]

Lobster Prices Rebound - Portland Press Herald - 1.8.09

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With the holidays behind us and the economy still in the doldrums, I don't see much demand for lobsters in the near future if prices do go up. The supply may shrink increasing price pressure, but I just don't think the demand will support significantly higher prices right now. I think that means we won't be seeing (or eating) too much lobster in the near term depending upon what the prices rise to.

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I just remembered that prices were the highest they had ever been just last spring - way over $12 a pound. Something about cooler waters keeping them off shore, the fuel prices and some sort of seasonal closure overlap. Pounds that weren't frozen were the only source of lobster.

How far we swing!

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It's funny, those prices made the recent low prices look particularly low. Now these prices will make increases look particularly expensive!

[johnnyd]

Maine's island community broadsheet of record is The Working Waterfront, published by The Island Institute a membership-based community development organization based in Rockland.

This month, editor Philip Conkling - who also sits on the Task Force on the Economic Sustainability of Maine's Lobster Industry - weighed in on the current state of Maine's lobster fishery in this month's issue:

The recent story begins in the spring of 2007 when boat prices shot up by 68 percent after the traditional spring spurt of lobsters failed to materialize. Prices stayed high throughout 2007 because Maine's total lobster harvest declined that year by over 11 million pounds from its recent average. Prices of lobster tails from Canadian processors, which have become the largest buyer of Maine lobsters during the past decade and a half, stayed high throughout 2008.

The largest buyers of lobster tails are two "casual dining" restaurant chains: Darden's that runs Red Lobster restaurants and OSI that operates Outback Steakhouses. Faced with very tight competition in an over-saturated casual dining market and high lobster prices, these huge buyers balked. They began substituting spiny lobster and shrimp for lobster tails. Canadian processors still have a huge unsold inventory of frozen lobster tails that augers poorly for a rebound in prices in 2009.

The task force contracted with a food industry consulting company - The Moseley Group - to collect information on the structure and function of Maine's lobster industry. Their report is due on the Governor's desk later this month.

Meanwhile, I bought two lobsters of undetermined poundage from two guys in a pick-up for $6 each this weekend. "They're all within legal size, we just didn't bother to weigh 'em."

Mine had huge claws and I'm cool with that.

Edited May 11, 2009 by johnnyd (log)

[johnnyd]

Lobstermen Take On New Role: Salesman - Portland Press Herald 6.21.09 features data recently compiled by The Moseley Group.

Hawking lobsters is a job most Maine lobstermen have been happy to leave to other people. But the global collapse of lobster prices, together with high bait and fuel costs, has capsized the economics of Maine's signature coastal industry.

Now, Chris Andrews is one of a growing number of lobstermen selling their own catches, bypassing dealers and fish markets. Even getting one dollar more per pound – $5 instead of $4 – may be enough to protect their livelihoods this summer, they say.

"A lot of people are trying to position their businesses to survive right now," said George Lapointe, commissioner of the Department of Marine Resources.

But the trend has inflamed old tensions between lobster catchers and lobster dealers at the same time the future of the industry may hinge on their ability to cooperate. Some dealers have tried to put a stop to the pickup-truck sales, warning that the practice is unfair and may drive prices down even further.

Another summer of low lobster prices is ahead of us. Or is it?

[David A. Goldfarb]

It's looking that way. I've seen $5.88 (Chinese market, probably Canadian), $5.99 (Fairway, Canadian), $6.99 (local Italian market, Long Island lobsters), and $8.50 (Long Island lobsters direct from the fishermen at the Union Square Greenmarket) a pound in the last month or so.

[docsconz]

It's looking that way.  I've seen $5.88 (Chinese market, probably Canadian), $5.99 (Fairway, Canadian), $6.99 (local Italian market, Long Island lobsters), and $8.50 (Long Island lobsters direct from the fishermen at the Union Square Greenmarket) a pound in the last month or so.

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I recently bought beautiful Canadian hardshell lobsters at $6.99/lb for 2+ pounders at our local Hannaford. Less than 1.5 pounds they were $5.99/lb. Cheapest that I have seen in a long time.

[Lapin d'Argent]

The roadside competition is clearly good for cost-conscious consumers, and for those who want to get their food directly from the guys who pulled it out of the ocean.

But the trend has inflamed old tensions between lobster catchers and lobster dealers at the same time the future of the industry may hinge on their ability to cooperate. Some dealers have tried to put a stop to the pickup-truck sales, warning that the practice is unfair and may drive prices down even further.

"They're putting themselves in a hole by doing this," said Robert Bushey, a lobster dealer in Milbridge.

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Seems to me the lobster market needs a new model that's more like other food markets.

Around here, we have farms that operate their own market stands, and selldirect to other retail stores and restaurants or through distributors. And these are not giant mega-farms; they're just local farms that grow their own quality produce.

I don't see why lobster harvesters shouldn't be allowed to follow a similar diversified path. Everyone is better off focusing on the quality of the product, or the direct connection with the producer to eek out a little better price, than trying to treat it like a commodity in a race to the bottom. Fresher lobsters certainly should command a higher price; I know I'd happily pay $1 or even $2 more per lb for lobsters just off the boat.

Not that I know what the hell I'm talking about, but that's never stopped me before...

- L.

[johnnyd]

Lobstermen consider work stoppage to boost prices

Frustrated with prices that continue to sink because of weak demand, lobstermen said they might stay on shore temporarily in an effort to reduce supplies and make their catches more valuable.

Lobstermen have threatened such shutdowns, known as tie-ups, in the past, and some have organized small-scale tie-ups in recent years to protest low prices or reduce excess supplies. But the fishermen also are notoriously independent, and there has not been a large-scale tie-up in decades.

"It would be tough" to stop working and earning money for a week, said Gregg Whitton of South Portland. "But if I thought it would help raise the boat price and maybe make some sort of impact, I would do it."

[johnnyd]

Portland Press Herald - Lobsterman Shooting Show Industry Tensions Rising

Vance Bunker, 68, was charged with elevated aggravated assault in the shooting of 41-year-old Christopher Young on Monday morning. Both are lobstermen who live on Matinicus island, a remote community 20 miles southeast of Rockland.

The shooting appears to be the most extreme example of growing tensions all along the coast as Maine lobstermen and their families face historic financial pressures related to the global recession and a drop in demand. Some lobstermen are trying to organize a mass work stoppage to force prices higher.