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| Hit by Low Prices, Lobstermen Are at Odds in Maine and Canada | Hit by Low Prices, Lobstermen Are at Odds in Maine and Canada |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| OTTAWA — Lobsters do not respect the lines on maps that define the Canada-United States border. They traverse the seabed contentedly munching on herring from New England to Newfoundland. | OTTAWA — Lobsters do not respect the lines on maps that define the Canada-United States border. They traverse the seabed contentedly munching on herring from New England to Newfoundland. |
| For the lobstermen up top, the international boundary is very real and respected. But there has been more cross-border tension as both sides struggle to find ways to earn more in an era of record harvests that are lowering the prices they get. | For the lobstermen up top, the international boundary is very real and respected. But there has been more cross-border tension as both sides struggle to find ways to earn more in an era of record harvests that are lowering the prices they get. |
| Last year, Canadian lobstermen, angry about a surge in low-cost imports from Maine, briefly blocked lobster-laden trucks from entering Canadian plants, raising charges of threats and intimidation in Maine. That was followed this year by a strike for higher prices in Canada, one swiftly undermined by the tactical error of lobstermen setting their traps before tying up their boats. On the other side of the border, Maine lobstermen and the state’s governor fear that the state’s new $2.4 million marketing plan to help lobstermen will be undermined by trade rules that transform most Maine lobsters into a Canadian product. | Last year, Canadian lobstermen, angry about a surge in low-cost imports from Maine, briefly blocked lobster-laden trucks from entering Canadian plants, raising charges of threats and intimidation in Maine. That was followed this year by a strike for higher prices in Canada, one swiftly undermined by the tactical error of lobstermen setting their traps before tying up their boats. On the other side of the border, Maine lobstermen and the state’s governor fear that the state’s new $2.4 million marketing plan to help lobstermen will be undermined by trade rules that transform most Maine lobsters into a Canadian product. |
| The surfeit of lobsters has pushed prices that fishermen get down to levels not seen in decades, as low as $1.20 a pound this summer in some parts of Maine, from a 10-year average price of just under $4. Much of that decline has not been passed along to consumers feasting on lobster rolls or a whole steaming crustacean. Lobster can go for $15 a pound at a grocery store. | The surfeit of lobsters has pushed prices that fishermen get down to levels not seen in decades, as low as $1.20 a pound this summer in some parts of Maine, from a 10-year average price of just under $4. Much of that decline has not been passed along to consumers feasting on lobster rolls or a whole steaming crustacean. Lobster can go for $15 a pound at a grocery store. |
| “Something is seriously wrong, somebody’s getting a whole ton of money,” said Charles McGeoghegan, a lobsterman on Prince Edward Island since the age of 6. “We know that the fishermen aren’t getting it.” | “Something is seriously wrong, somebody’s getting a whole ton of money,” said Charles McGeoghegan, a lobsterman on Prince Edward Island since the age of 6. “We know that the fishermen aren’t getting it.” |
| The price drop has brought anxiety to lobstermen in both countries. “I love what I do for a living. Every trap is like opening a Christmas present; I can’t wait to see the next one,” Steve Train, a lobsterman for 35 years who lives on Long Island, Me., said by telephone while eating a lobster sandwich for dinner. “I think we can survive this, but after two years in a row of it, you get a little nervous.” | The price drop has brought anxiety to lobstermen in both countries. “I love what I do for a living. Every trap is like opening a Christmas present; I can’t wait to see the next one,” Steve Train, a lobsterman for 35 years who lives on Long Island, Me., said by telephone while eating a lobster sandwich for dinner. “I think we can survive this, but after two years in a row of it, you get a little nervous.” |
| “There’s a real injustice here,” said Michael McGeoghegan, also a lobsterman for 35 years, president of the Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association and the father of Charles. “If the consumer wasn’t paying the big dollars, I’d say: it’s O.K., it’s fair. One billion dollars changes hands in the Atlantic Canada lobster fishery and somebody’s getting the money.” | “There’s a real injustice here,” said Michael McGeoghegan, also a lobsterman for 35 years, president of the Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association and the father of Charles. “If the consumer wasn’t paying the big dollars, I’d say: it’s O.K., it’s fair. One billion dollars changes hands in the Atlantic Canada lobster fishery and somebody’s getting the money.” |
| Each side thinks it is the other. Depending on who is counting, 50 to 70 percent of Maine’s lobsters end up in Canadian processing plants. Geoff Irvine, the executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada, said that while a majority of Canadian lobstermen probably want a ban on imports from Maine, Canadian plants are economically viable only if they receive American lobsters when the Canadian fishermen are idle. | Each side thinks it is the other. Depending on who is counting, 50 to 70 percent of Maine’s lobsters end up in Canadian processing plants. Geoff Irvine, the executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada, said that while a majority of Canadian lobstermen probably want a ban on imports from Maine, Canadian plants are economically viable only if they receive American lobsters when the Canadian fishermen are idle. |
| He said that Canadians should also remember that the United States buys about three-quarters of Canada’s harvest. “We’ve got a lot of eggs in the American basket,” Mr. Irvine said. “We don’t have any intention of getting into a fight with the Americans.” | He said that Canadians should also remember that the United States buys about three-quarters of Canada’s harvest. “We’ve got a lot of eggs in the American basket,” Mr. Irvine said. “We don’t have any intention of getting into a fight with the Americans.” |
| Too late for that. Across the border in the United States, Gov. Paul R. LePage of Maine is bothered by trade rules that transform Maine lobster into Canadian lobster once it is processed in Canada. He claims that the processing industry in Canada is heavily subsidized. Governor LePage has pushed for Maine to become self-sufficient in processing within three years, an objective most in the industry believe is unattainable. | Too late for that. Across the border in the United States, Gov. Paul R. LePage of Maine is bothered by trade rules that transform Maine lobster into Canadian lobster once it is processed in Canada. He claims that the processing industry in Canada is heavily subsidized. Governor LePage has pushed for Maine to become self-sufficient in processing within three years, an objective most in the industry believe is unattainable. |
| While it would like more local processing, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association is looking for a compromise that would see those Canadian lobsters labeled: “Harvested in Maine, Processed in Canada.” | While it would like more local processing, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association is looking for a compromise that would see those Canadian lobsters labeled: “Harvested in Maine, Processed in Canada.” |
| That’s an idea that many Canadian lobstermen support, although not for reasons that will restore cross-border harmony. Charles McGeoghegan, who is also a member of Prince Edward Island’s provincial assembly, said that the current system means that “lower quality” Maine lobster is being sold as a Canadian product. | That’s an idea that many Canadian lobstermen support, although not for reasons that will restore cross-border harmony. Charles McGeoghegan, who is also a member of Prince Edward Island’s provincial assembly, said that the current system means that “lower quality” Maine lobster is being sold as a Canadian product. |
| Fighting words, indeed, but the fishermen on each side of the border look for very different crustaceans. Fishermen from Maine, who bring in the overwhelming majority of the American catch, largely harvest recently molted, soft-shell lobsters in a season that is concentrated in July and August. Throughout their lifetimes, lobsters will molt and regrow their shells about 30 times, assuming they’re not trapped before then. | Fighting words, indeed, but the fishermen on each side of the border look for very different crustaceans. Fishermen from Maine, who bring in the overwhelming majority of the American catch, largely harvest recently molted, soft-shell lobsters in a season that is concentrated in July and August. Throughout their lifetimes, lobsters will molt and regrow their shells about 30 times, assuming they’re not trapped before then. |
| Before and after Maine’s summer season, it’s time for the Canadian hard-shell lobster. Canadian fishermen trap the live lobsters that most of the world, including Americans, buy. | Before and after Maine’s summer season, it’s time for the Canadian hard-shell lobster. Canadian fishermen trap the live lobsters that most of the world, including Americans, buy. |
| Unsurprisingly, the merits of hard-shell and soft-shell lobsters are almost a matter of religious dogma. It requires no prompting for almost anyone in the Maine fishery to say that meat of soft-shell lobsters is, as Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, puts it, “incredibly fresh and tender.” Hard-shell lobsters, which sometimes are stored live in tanks filled with frigid water for months, have “a little more of a metallic taste.” | Unsurprisingly, the merits of hard-shell and soft-shell lobsters are almost a matter of religious dogma. It requires no prompting for almost anyone in the Maine fishery to say that meat of soft-shell lobsters is, as Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, puts it, “incredibly fresh and tender.” Hard-shell lobsters, which sometimes are stored live in tanks filled with frigid water for months, have “a little more of a metallic taste.” |
| More fighting words. Charles McGeoghegan said he was confident that Maine lobsters would fail any comparative taste test. If they are more tender, he added, “it’s because they’re mainly filled with water.” Robert C. Bayer, the executive director of the University of Maine Lobster Institute, which works with fishermen and officials on both sides of the border, diplomatically said that he was not aware of any scientific flavor comparisons. | More fighting words. Charles McGeoghegan said he was confident that Maine lobsters would fail any comparative taste test. If they are more tender, he added, “it’s because they’re mainly filled with water.” Robert C. Bayer, the executive director of the University of Maine Lobster Institute, which works with fishermen and officials on both sides of the border, diplomatically said that he was not aware of any scientific flavor comparisons. |
| But Ms. McCarron acknowledged that soft-shell lobster has a significant shortcoming, aside from its relatively short harvesting season. They are so delicate, she said, that ideally they need to be handled “like an egg.” That leaves traditionally large export markets for live lobsters, particularly Europe at Christmas, controlled by Canada’s four Atlantic provinces. | |
| Canada dominates the lobster processing business, with products ranging from fresh meat to a variety of canned and frozen offerings. Innovations intended to increase sales include something called “Popsicle packs”: small lobsters that would normally supply meat for canning are instead cooked whole, then dropped into plastic bags with brine and flash frozen. Sold mainly in France, the product seems to be a source of embarrassment to the Canadian industry as fishermen and even lobster marketers acknowledge that the small size of the lobsters and the packing method make them less than ideal for a classy meal. | Canada dominates the lobster processing business, with products ranging from fresh meat to a variety of canned and frozen offerings. Innovations intended to increase sales include something called “Popsicle packs”: small lobsters that would normally supply meat for canning are instead cooked whole, then dropped into plastic bags with brine and flash frozen. Sold mainly in France, the product seems to be a source of embarrassment to the Canadian industry as fishermen and even lobster marketers acknowledge that the small size of the lobsters and the packing method make them less than ideal for a classy meal. |
| While European importers still bring over chartered cargo planeloads of live lobsters from Canada, the Continent’s economic crisis has reduced their numbers. Lobstermen in the United States and Canada hope that Asia will ultimately be the industry’s answer. But expanding that market requires convincing Asians that Atlantic lobsters are better than the clawless lobster species they have traditionally eaten. | While European importers still bring over chartered cargo planeloads of live lobsters from Canada, the Continent’s economic crisis has reduced their numbers. Lobstermen in the United States and Canada hope that Asia will ultimately be the industry’s answer. But expanding that market requires convincing Asians that Atlantic lobsters are better than the clawless lobster species they have traditionally eaten. |
| The industry’s ability to expand the live lobster market appears limited. While there is no firm data, several people in the industry said that they believed that retailers in the United States were gradually phasing out live lobster tanks in their stores. Not only are consumers looking for more convenient — that is, dead — forms of lobster, but even with lobsters still going for upward of $15 a pound at some stores, they were historically a loss leader for supermarkets. | The industry’s ability to expand the live lobster market appears limited. While there is no firm data, several people in the industry said that they believed that retailers in the United States were gradually phasing out live lobster tanks in their stores. Not only are consumers looking for more convenient — that is, dead — forms of lobster, but even with lobsters still going for upward of $15 a pound at some stores, they were historically a loss leader for supermarkets. |
| Whatever resentments they harbor, Canadian and American lobstermen are firmly united on one point. It rankles them that the low prices they are now getting have not been followed by similar declines in retail prices. | Whatever resentments they harbor, Canadian and American lobstermen are firmly united on one point. It rankles them that the low prices they are now getting have not been followed by similar declines in retail prices. |
| The problem with prices is there are just too many lobsters and there have been for the last five years, Dr. Bayer and others have noted. Warmer oceans and the overfishing of cod that prey on lobsters have allowed more of them to abundantly reproduce. “I think we’re going to see this situation for a while,” Dr. Bayer said. “I don’t know how long, and I don’t think anyone really does.” | The problem with prices is there are just too many lobsters and there have been for the last five years, Dr. Bayer and others have noted. Warmer oceans and the overfishing of cod that prey on lobsters have allowed more of them to abundantly reproduce. “I think we’re going to see this situation for a while,” Dr. Bayer said. “I don’t know how long, and I don’t think anyone really does.” |
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: | |
| Correction: October 19, 2013 | |
An earlier version of this article misstated the number of Canada’s Atlantic provinces. There are four Atlantic provinces, not five. |