July 4, 2013 — There is good news for consumers, but bad for struggling lobstermen: Prices for the delicacy are cheap again this season, and could stay that way.
Massachusetts lobstermen were paid about $3.74 per pound last week, just four cents more than a year ago, when prices hit a record low. That means supermarket prices of $6.99 to $9.99 a pound, depending on size.
Get used to the bargains, the experts say, because climate change, in the form of warmer oceans, and fewer predators are likely to mean a plentiful lobster supply for years to come. On top of that, looser regulations on the crustacean’s predators — cod, halibut, and hake — are creating bigger lobster populations.
“You’re seeing this explosion in catches,” said Rick Wahle, a professor at Darling Marine Center at the University of Maine. “You remove those large fish from the population, and lobsters outgrow their predators faster than they used to, and it allows them to exploit habitats they didn’t used to.”
When lobsters shed their shells — a process known as molting — it signals the start of the US lobster season. New England lobsters typically begin molting around July 4, but global warming is making them molt earlier. Last season, lobsters shed their shells at the end of May, kicking off the American season before the Canadian season had ended. The result: a record low for lobster prices because of the overabundant supply.
Read the full story at the Boston Globe