High cost causes many lobster lovers to lose appetite

The Enterprise of Brockton www.enterprisenews.com Story published: June 8, 2007 High cost causes many lobster lovers to lose appetite By Peter Cox SPECIAL ENTERPRISE CORRESPONDENT In summer, a diner's fancy often turns to lobster. But this year consumers are paying more for the mouth-watering marine crustacean — and that's causing some folks to stop buying lobster, cutting into profits among food merchants. "It's just too expensive," said David Poirier of Dave's Seafood in Taunton. "People just won't buy them." From March 1 until around Mother's Day, lobsters were between $15 and $16 per pound for suppliers — when they could be found at all. The cost has dropped slightly since then, to between $8.95 and $9.95 per pound for smaller lobsters and between $10.95 and $11.95 per pound for larger lobsters. That is still $1 to $2 per pound higher than it was at this time last year. Poirier said that even though prices have fallen slightly recently, his business during Memorial Day weekend was poor. Other restaurants are experiencing the same thing. "It was the nastiest stretch I've seen in 18 years of business," said Jay Kimball, owner of Woods Seafood restaurant in Plymouth. "But it's calming down now." Last year Americans ate an average of 250,000 pounds of lobster every day. Local consumers are feeling the pinch as well, with some deciding not to buy lobster. "It's way too expensive right now," said Louise Morrish of Brockton, a mother of seven. "I definitely won't buy any this summer." Some people, on the other hand, aren't too bothered by the increased price. "I like lobster," said Leah Greenberg of Brockton. "If I want it, I'll buy it." Greenberg said that $2 per pound more wasn't enough to keep her from eating lobster, especially after comparing it to the prices earlier this year. The spike in prices was caused by a shortage of supply brought on by harsh winter weather and abnormally cold water temperatures in the spring. Kimball said the lobster stockpile in Canada also ran out over the winter, causing prices to skyrocket. When the Canadian waters opened up for fishing on May 1, Kimball said the prices dropped a good deal, but the supply was still somewhat short because Canadian fishermen did not catch as much as expected. Kimball said that despite the high cost, he thinks the seafood business will not suffer too much. The supply of lobster increased before the busiest season got under way, giving the market well more than a month to stabilize before July 4, Independence Day, the biggest business day for lobster. But some retailers say they have lost business. "It's driven our customers away," said the aptly named Billy Fish, owner of Fred's Seafoods in Randolph. However, Fish said, Canada has opened up new fishing grounds, which should bring the price down to its normal range soon. "People have gone to cheaper alternatives," Fish said. "Other local fish like haddock and cod are having trouble too. Even when the price comes down, we're going to have to work hard to get our customers back."

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