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PRIMARY SOURCE
New England, Atlantic Canada.
SEASON
• In New England, year round, but most landings from July to
October
• In Canada, seasons vary by province. Major fisheries include
New Brunswick and P.E.I. (late spring and early fall) and Nova Scotia
(November-July)
FISHING METHOD
Trap.
DEFECTS
• Watch for broken legs or antennae, which are signs of poor
handling and can lead to higher stress and greater deadloss.
• New-shell (i.e., post-molt) lobsters have poorer meat fill
and will suffer higher mortalities during shipping than hard-shell
lobsters.
• If a lobster is “mossy,” it’s probably been
kept in a lobster pound. Although the meat is still fine, the appearance
can turn buyers off.
• Watch for lobsters missing one or both claws; they should
be available at a discount.
SELLING POINTS
• Consumers love American lobster: The so-called “king
of crustaceans” is haute cuisine you can eat with your hands.
• Because the bulk of the lobster harvest takes place from
May to October, but most of the “summer trade” only runs
June to September, the best buys on live product are usually found
in May and September.
• Kept on display in a well-maintained live tank, few seafoods
offer more eye appeal than live lobster.
• Frozen whole-cooked lobster offers an affordable alternative
to live product. Available year-round, they also eliminate the costs
and problems involved in keeping live product.
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SCIENTIFIC NAME: Homarus americanus
MARKET NAME(S): Lobster, Maine lobster, Canadian lobster
SIZE RANGE: Up to 40 lbs., usually 1-3 lbs.
YIELD: Whole to meat hard-shell: 35-40%; whole to meat new-shell:
30-35%.
PRODUCT FORMS:
LIVE; FRESH: Whole cooked;
FROZEN: Whole cooked, cooked meat and claws; raw tails.
STORAGE & HANDLING: Most live lobster
are packed in seaweed or seawater-soaked newspaper with gel packs
and shipped in 25- or 50-lb. boxes. Upon delivery, they should be
kept in 40-45-°F salt water to slow their metabolism and minimize
stress. Frozen whole-cooked lobsters are sold in either brine-filled
plastic sleeves (sometimes called "popsicle packs") or
dry in vacuum packs.
COOKING SUGGESTIONS
The most common method to cook American lobsters is boiling or steaming
and serving with drawn butter. Steam the lobster for 13 minutes
per pound for the first pound and add 3 minutes per pound for each
additional pound thereafter. When boiling, bring the water to a
rolling boil, add the lobster and boil 10 minutes per pound for
the first pound. Add 3 minutes per pound for each additional pound
thereafter. If you are cooking new, or soft shell lobsters, reduce
the time by 3 minutes. Lobsters can also be blanched for 3 to 5
minutes, split and finished on a grill and served with a sauce for
a different flavor profile.
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American Lobster
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Known to many consumers
as Maine lobster, this popular shellfish (Homarus americanus) has
been a major resource throughout New England and Atlantic Canada since
Colonial times. Today, thanks to careful handling and sophisticated
shipping techniques, American lobster is enjoyed from Boston to Beijing.
American lobster are found from North Carolina to Labrador, with Maine
and Nova Scotia typically being the biggest producers. Two related
species are found throughout Europe and off the coast of Norway.
Together, the U.S. and Canada harvest approximately 70,000 to 75,000
tons of lobster a year. Historically, Canada has accounted for up
to two-thirds of the total; recently, the split has been closer to
50/50.
Like all shellfish, lobsters molt, shedding their shells in order
to grow into a new larger shell. Such "new-shell" lobsters
tend be more fragile and have a lower meat fill than similarly aged
hard-shell lobsters.
Canada's lobster fishery is closed during the summer, when lobsters
typically molt. The New England lobster fishery, however, does not
have a closed season and a high percentage of the catch from July
through September is new shell lobsters .
In Canada, where annual landings average around 40,000 tons, the harvest
season varies by province. The biggest catches are in the spring (New
Brunswick and P.E.I.) and fall (Nova Scotia).
In the U.S., most lobster are caught between July and October, with
Maine typically accounting for around 75% of the national harvest.
It takes an American lobster four to seven years to grow to one pound;
in the U.S., 85-90% of the harvest consists of lobsters that have
just reached the legal size.
In the U.S., the minimum "gauge size" (carapace length)
for a legal live lobster is 3 1/4 inches, which means marketable animals
usually run 1 pound and up. In Canada, lobsters as small as 1/2 to
1 pound, sometimes called "canners," are legal, but they
can't be shipped to the U.S. live.
American lobster are generally graded in 1/2-pound increments, with
the following market names: "Chickens" or "chix"
(1 pound), "quarters" (1-1 1/2 pounds), "selects"
(1 1/2-2 pounds) and "jumbos" (2 pounds and up). A lobster
missing one or both claws is known as a "cull."
Lobsters are often kept in "pounds" - essentially sheltered
enclosures in small bays — where they are held to take advantage
of market trends. When fishing is slow and prices rise to a desirable
point, they are sold.
A live lobster should curl its tail when touched. If it doesn't, it's
probably dead and should be discarded. Likewise, lobsters missing
legs or antennae or bearing moss (from being kept in pounds) may be
sluggish or stressed, resulting in higher deadloss.
Consumers who refrain from eating lobster because of the "scream"
the animals make when placed in boiling water shouldn't worry. The
sound is simply air escaping from the lobster's body as it expands
from the heat. |
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The
Pacific Advantage
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All
distribution facilities have live lobster tanks.The lobsters
are stored in salt water to ensure quality. Source only hard
shell lobster from large, reputable dealers. The fast turnover
of live inventory allows for higher-quality product. Full supply
of frozen Maine lobster products including tails and meat. |
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