Maine lobster has long been associated with white tablecloths and candlelight, but a South Portland-based dealer is putting its lobster where the customers are: in discount wholesale clubs and supermarket take-out aisles. Portland Shellfish Inc. said Tuesday that its Claw Island brand Maine Lobster Claw and Knuckle Meat is now available in 22 BJ’s Wholesale Clubs throughout New England. And its Portland Lighthouse Lobster Salad is now available in six-ounce cups at Big Y Markets, a grocery store chain in western Massachusetts.
"You have to change. You can’t be constant, especially when there are so many lobsters around to process," said Scout Wuerthner, sales manager for Portland Shellfish.
Maine’s $235 million-a-year lobster industry has been struggling to sell its catch since last fall, when the global economic crisis deflated demand for the luxury product. The weak market has produced bargain prices for locals and tourists this summer, and led many lobstermen to retail their own catches out of their homes or trucks, rather than settle for the lower wholesale price.