Thanks to last winter’s unusually warm temperatures, North Atlantic lobsters got a head start on mating season this year, and have been procreating like crazy since six weeks ahead of season. As a natural consequence, Maine lobstermen are experiencing a serious glut of lobster, reports the Wall Street Journal.
If you’re thinking “Yummy, cheap lobster rolls for everyone!” or guiltily conceding that maybe climate change isn’t all bad, what with warm winters and “too many lobsters,” you might want to slow your (lobster) roll.
Because the fact is, while this lobster glut issue is good news for a few people in Maine who can currently buy lobsters off the truck for $4 per pound, it’s bad news for lobstermen and nature, and no news for us, as the young lobsters being harvested have shells so thin they can’t be tranported.
Lobstermen have a cut-off point where the prices are too low to make working worthwhile, Randy Johnson, manager of the Winter Harbor Lobster Co-op told WSJ. Prices have fallen as low as $1.25—70% below normal. Though they’ve been bringing in extra-large hauls, they haven’t been making enough money to turn a profit on their boats, and many have docked because of it.
So if you’re looking for a silver lining in this climate change situation, move along. While a few in Maine will have cheap lobster meat this summer, most of us will keep paying $18 a roll as lobstermen struggle to turn a buck.
(Via Eater)
July 17, 2012 at 11:31 am, Mila Kunis Is The New Face Of Dior Tops The Morning Links | Everything Andre said:
[...] Talk about first world problems: Maine now has too many lobsters. – [DeathAndTaxes] [...]
July 17, 2012 at 11:33 am, Here’s A Buzz We Found TodayMila Kunis Is The New Face Of Dior Tops The Morning Links | Test said:
[...] Talk about first world problems: Maine now has too many lobsters. – [DeathAndTaxes] [...]
July 18, 2012 at 12:03 pm, Fine Arts Festival said:
[...] Maine has too many lobsters Unfortunately, this doesn't translate to cheap lobsters for everyone. Read more on Death and Taxes [...]
July 23, 2012 at 2:35 pm, Sharp rise in psychedelic lobsters | Death and Taxes said:
[...] more people take and share pictures than used to. Cowan suggests that bright blue and multi colored lobsters normally have a harder time hiding from predators, “But with the predator population down, [...]
July 23, 2012 at 8:36 pm, Chuck Anziulewicz said:
Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, during a recent speech before the Council on Foreign Relations, had THIS to say about global warming: “We have spent our entire existence adapting, OK? So we will adapt to this. Changes to weather patterns that move crop production areas around — we’ll adapt to that. It’s an engineering problem, and it has engineering solutions.” He added that his company had set out to educate the “illiterate” public as to the facts, and move them away from the purveyors of “manufactured fear.”.
And YES, human beings are pretty adaptable, thanks to our technology and ability to travel. The other species we share this planet with? Not so much. And those links in our ecological chain WILL begin to weaken and fail. But I'm sure Mr. Tillerson finds it reassuring that he won't have to worry about it too much during HIS lifetime:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v700/PhatDajuan/NotMyProblem.jpg?t=1244030539
July 24, 2012 at 2:44 pm, Kevin Love said:
I noticed that although lobster prices are down, lobster rolls are not!
July 24, 2012 at 2:50 pm, Dan Lanio said:
when prices are high, we can not charge the correct amount so all restaurants make up during these times…by the way, when is Smuttynose keg prices coming down…
July 24, 2012 at 2:59 pm, Robert Love said:
Lobster is a small part of a Lobster Roll cost. Labor, rent, and other overhead are more.