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The Great Lobster Mystery

Food prices are soaring. So why is lobster cheap?

By Daniel Gross | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Aug 18, 2008 | Updated: 4:02  p.m. ET Aug 18, 2008

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  • Posted By: dombett @ 08/20/2008 10:31:03 AM

    Comment: Overly simplistic analysis. Maine lobster is highly valued in Europe, especially France, but with the weak dollar, it's expensive to import there and thus lower demand there means higher supply here. Supply is also high because the little buggers are reproducing like crazy, yet consumers aren't buying because they "perceive" this to be an expensive luxury item in a down economy, no matter the real cost. And don't discount the cost of bait, fuel, and boat loan. Lobstermen suffer when the price is low.

  • Posted By: red04649 @ 08/20/2008 6:05:59 AM

    Comment: A new 40 ft lobster boat costs close to $200,000.00. 600 traps at 120.00 each. Bait at 24.00 a buschell.
    Diesel at 4.85 a gallon. There's nothing cheap about lobster fishing.

  • Posted By: morbie5 @ 08/19/2008 4:25:12 PM

    Comment: "you're unlikely to find live lobster tanks in Meijer stores in Michigan or Wal-Marts in the Ozarks."

    I live in Michigan and I think we used to have live lobster tanks at Meijer. I haven't noticed lately...

  • Posted By: blatnym @ 08/19/2008 2:23:31 PM

    Comment: Commodity futures and their associated speculation have far more impact on prices than supply and demand. The wild fluctuations of the oil market have little to do with rising and falling consumption. Actual oil consumption varies only a few percentage points, but the price swings have been 50% +

  • Posted By: petrom @ 08/19/2008 2:04:13 PM

    Comment: FYI, the Meijer store I shop at in Canton, Michigan has a live lobster tank. I prefer crab however!

  • Posted By: petrom @ 08/19/2008 2:03:01 PM

    Comment: FYI, the Meijer store I shop at in Canton, Michigan has a live lobster tank. I prefer crab however.

  • Posted By: kthomsen1369 @ 08/19/2008 2:01:07 PM

    Comment: lets include the expence of traps ,warp (rope) ,bouys ,bait .repairs for boat ,electronics ,engine ,coast guard safty equipment ,dock fees ,winter storage and permits to fish.one bad storm can wipe out many lobster traps not to mention the boat and the times a boat cant leave dockside due to storms.i bet many lobster men wish all they needed is gas and a boat.you mention fertilizer in your article how correct

  • Posted By: kthomsen1369 @ 08/19/2008 1:45:05 PM

    Comment: expences for lobster men are not just gas they have traps to maintain rope bouys bait all cost money not to mention boat repairs dock fees permits winter storage and an array of gear electronics manditory coast guard safty equipment its a crazy statement to say only gas and a boat are needed

  • Posted By: oceanariums @ 08/19/2008 1:26:34 PM

    Comment: Many mainstream grocery stores are now offering live lobster... Publix Super Markets, Giant Eagle, Hannaford/Sweetbay. We supply Live Lobster Tanks to those stores. www.oceanariums.com

  • Posted By: oceanariums @ 08/19/2008 1:24:57 PM

    Comment: Many mainstream grocery stores now have Live Lobster Tanks -- as we supply that equipment to Publix Super Markets, Giant Eagle, Hannaford/Sweetbay. www.oceanariums.com

  • Posted By: ermd @ 08/19/2008 1:17:50 PM

    Comment: I live in Fort Smith, Arkansas- in the Ozarks- and there are lobsters in tanks at Wal Mart. They have been available for years.

  • Posted By: kirt @ 08/19/2008 1:07:14 PM

    Comment: I enjoy lobster and crab, king is the best. This is great to hear I hope I can buy some in the midwest with the low price. I work my butt off to get to the top of the food chain and I want to stay here.

  • Posted By: Cyby9 @ 08/19/2008 12:42:19 PM

    Comment: You failed to mention the industry's excellent record of self-regulation and its attendant increase in harvestable stock, even in light of soaring demand for this seafood delicacy (which was historically used to feed indigents and prisoners) The Maine Lobsterman is the hero of this crustacean's revival. And its sustenance. The rest of American fishery can, should and will try to learn many lessons from these regional environmentalists.

  • Posted By: ORock15 @ 08/19/2008 12:39:44 PM

    Comment: I saw live lobster tanks at a Payless supermarker in Lafayette, IN

  • Posted By: ORock15 @ 08/19/2008 12:38:18 PM

    Comment: Actually i did see a live lobster tank in a Payless grocery in Lafayette, IN

  • Posted By: TimothyS @ 08/19/2008 12:02:15 PM

    Comment: Um.. some problems here. Skirt and flank steak are usually more per pound than sirloin these days due to an increase in interest in Mexican food - particularly fajitas - and London broil. And there are plenty of live lobsters swimming in tanks in all Meijers stores - in fact, I see then a couple times a week at my neighborhood Michigan Meijers.

    • Posted By: summer4077 @ 08/19/2008 12:21:51 PM

      Comment: Lol, I thought the same thing. I see them all the time at my Ohio Meijers and Giant Eagles.

  • Posted By: Davidebert @ 08/19/2008 11:53:11 AM

    Comment: There are acceptable no-cholesterol butter substitutes available now- similar to the faux-butter popcorn oil used in the pumps at the movies. Many restaurants use them to stretch dipping butter- it is tasty, cheaper, and doesn't burn or turn rancid like butter. Pure vegetable oil, flavored and colored with annatto. Try it for lobster at home- its OK.

  • Posted By: hollister @ 08/19/2008 11:19:42 AM

    Comment: I live in Harrisonville, MO (an hour from the Ozarks and we have a live lobster tank in our Wal-Mart as well. My toddler always used to beg me to take him over to look at the "water men," as he referred to them.

    • Posted By: irateredhead2008 @ 08/20/2008 12:05:58 PM

      Comment: Hello there! I actually grew up in Cleveland, MO. It's always fun to run into folks from that same small area. And yes, I believe there was a lobster tank at the harrisonville Wal-Mart when I still lived in the area about 10 years ago. I know my parents still love to cook up some lobsters for holidays or a treat. I've never seen a shortage of them out there, and it's about as far from an ocean as you can get in this country.

  • Posted By: spikeaus @ 08/19/2008 10:15:50 AM

    Comment: We even have live Maine Lobsters in the HEB stores in Texas..... Fresh every 48 hrs. or so, and they cost anywhere from $17 to $20 per pound.... We are told that it's the shipping that quadruples the price. I found out it's about the same price to get them shipped fresh and live from the docks in Maine to your front door these days. You had better be at the front door to sign for them when they show up on ice. Nothing worse than a stinky dead lobster in the hot sun on your doorstep.

  • Posted By: vla815 @ 08/19/2008 9:42:31 AM

    Comment: Meijer and Walmart ALL have lobster tanks. Daniel Gross, maybe you should get out of NYC and see what's going on out in the hinterlands...

  • Posted By: vla815 @ 08/19/2008 9:41:41 AM

    Comment: Actually Meijer and Walmart all carry lobsters, live in the tank.

  • Posted By: careos @ 08/19/2008 9:06:59 AM

    Comment: Uh, yes you can find live lobster tanks at Mejier stores in Michigan, as well as Kroger's and a lot of other markets. We're not backwoods hicks here in Michigan.

  • Posted By: apell @ 08/19/2008 8:41:49 AM

    Comment: Mr. Gross obviously is attempting a light-hearted article, but he is ignoring the reality of the lobstering industry in Maine. Entire coastal communities depend on this fishery, and it is being squeezed significantly this year. Mr. Gross implies that lobstering is "easy" (no feeding or fertilizing) and the only thing lobstermen need is a little gas and "butter". However, the deisel that powers most lobster boats has doubled in price since last year, and the bait used to catch the lobsters (yes, lobstermen *do* feed the critters) has increased significantly. In any industry where the primary costs increase and the price received for producr decreases, the producer (the lobsterman) is going to suffer. So enjoy your cheap lobsters, but don't minimize the difficulty the lobstermen are facing this year.

  • Posted By: FATJOEY @ 08/19/2008 7:04:49 AM

    Comment: i don't compromise my cheese's for ANYONE!!!

  • Posted By: Rathipon @ 08/19/2008 7:01:58 AM

    Comment: Someone has to explain to my the mechanics of how speculation in commodity markets increases prices. You can have all the speculation in the world on paper, but in the end there is a certain amount of the physical commodity, and a certain demand for the physical commodity.

  • Posted By: tejccm @ 08/19/2008 6:25:55 AM

    Comment: As a long time resident of Muskegon Michigan, I beg to differ with your assumption that one wouldn't find lobster tanks in our Meijer stores. We have them now and have had them for years.

  • Posted By: EffYou @ 08/18/2008 11:56:41 PM

    Comment: Cockatiels want buttsechs!

  • Posted By: EffYou @ 08/18/2008 11:56:00 PM

    Comment: Cockatiels want buttsechs!

  • Posted By: EffYou @ 08/18/2008 11:55:53 PM

    Comment: Cockatiels want buttsechs!

  • Posted By: EffYou @ 08/18/2008 11:55:29 PM

    Comment: Cockatiels want buttsechs!

  • Posted By: Tiredoldman @ 08/18/2008 11:37:27 PM

    Comment: I will have you know that the Wall Mart in Osage Beach in the heart of the Ozarks does indeed have a lobster tank!! There are more million dollar home lining the Lake of the Ozarks then you can find in Beverly Hills. Bigger homes with better views and no brush fire or earthquakes to worry about. So take your predijuced attuide and stuff it!!

  • Posted By: bob_hall27 @ 08/18/2008 10:30:09 PM

    Comment: mmmmmmm Lobsterrrr

    • Posted By: Cully4 @ 08/19/2008 1:04:17 PM

      Comment: I hope you get the opportunity to be dropped into boiling water and cooked alive. Animals do not exist for your dining pleasure -- they exist for their OWN purpose.

    • Posted By: Cully4 @ 08/19/2008 12:59:11 PM

      Comment: I hope some day you all have the pleasure of being dropped into boiling water and cooked alive. Animals do not exist for your dining pleasure -- they exist for their OWN purpose. Watch a slaughterhouse video if it's no big deal.

      • Posted By: irateredhead2008 @ 08/20/2008 12:10:25 PM

        Comment: I have. I still like to eat my meat and work hard to get it from sources that are healthier and more humane whenever possible. Do you support PETA or something? There is such a thing in nature called food chains, let alone carnivores and omnivores. We happen to be lucky enough to not only be on the top of the food chain but also to benefit from all the options that come with being an omnivore. That means yes, we are meant to eat meat. Don't believe me over your heartfelt propaganda? Check out the shape of your teeth.

        BTW, I bet you kill lots of innocent plants. They don't exist for your pleasure and dining joys! They even know when to move to face the sun and everything. How dare you!

      • Posted By: peregrine1711 @ 08/19/2008 2:39:36 PM

        Comment: Cully 4,
        All edible creatures are a renewable resource. Take venison. There are more existing today than there were in 1900. That is due to conservation programs, limits. and such. As long as the woods and seas are not polluted and limits set on catches they will always be available.

        • Posted By: Cully4 @ 08/19/2008 7:04:42 PM

          Comment: Those creatures do not WANT to be edible nor do they WANT to be a resource.

          • Posted By: irateredhead2008 @ 08/20/2008 12:12:41 PM

            Comment: They told you personally huh? What other philosophical issues do the lobsters ponder over in their daily exploits?

            It's one thing to feel for animals or even alter your own natural feeding habits because of your HUMAN convictions (you know, the ones that come with being self-aware and your larger primate brain) and it's another thing to spew this nonsense as condescending, preaching fact when it isn't. Think a bit before you get on your soapbox.

            • Posted By: JulieAnn @ 08/20/2008 1:39:53 PM

              Comment: Ignore Cully...he/she should just move on to an article on the price of tofu. And I'll take my lobster with REAL butter, thank you!

      • Posted By: peregrine1711 @ 08/19/2008 2:35:35 PM

        Comment: Cully4
        Lobsters are the same as all game foods. A renewable resource if they are not overfished.
        Like deer, if the season and limits are imposed and the seas and forests are not polluted there will be more in the future than ther ever were in the past.

 
 
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