Scarcity. I had friends who go lobstering in New England and for the last few decades lobster stocks have been declining. Although I heard there's been a bit of rebound in recent years. Lobstering, at least whats done in New England, isn't very dangerous unless you are lobster pirate, someone who pulls up other people's traps. Because of the price lobsterman take their traps very seriously.
I never understood those King Crab guys killing themselves. Can't they just farm those suckers? I am sure they can't but... seriously man.
Was about to post the same thing. You can't have a decline on "sea insects" this long. EDIT: Whoops, I guess you didn't know about the diamond trade, either. Both are scams. Sadly, if you want to impress women, we have to follow suit. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy lobster, but the price is ridiculous. I could throw a trap out in the northeast bay right now and I'd have a dozen in a week. That is why they make you have "permits."
There are quite a few different kinds of lobster, but if you’re talking about the ones with the big claws, those are Atlantic or American Lobster, and about half the production of those comes from the US and Canada respectively. I think you’re as likely to be eating Canadian lobster there in Texas as you are New England lobster. The price of lobster right now is actually at a 20 year low. If your local restaurant is still charging top dollar then they’re making a nice profit on that dish. If you shop around you should be able to get some very good deals on lobster right now. http://www.thecoaster.ca/index.cfm?sid=252833&sc=319
I thought you were on the West Coast! How much is Canadian Lobster around Toronto? I've heard it is a pretty cheap foodstuff in Maine.
I'm in Calgary but my parents are both from the Maritimes. I haven't priced lobster recently so I'm not really sure what the price is. Seafood out here was never as fresh as the seafood my parents grew up with, so they never bought it here, and I never developed a habit of eating it. I've got a bunch of relatives out there, however, so I follow the news out there a bit.
As Pun already stated, they usually don't fish for lobster on that show - they're crab fisherman. Also it's not like the Bering Sea is the only place on the planet anyone can get crab. Those guys up there are often fishing for opilio crab and the Bering Sea isn't even the primary producer of the crab (I think Greenland or Canada is). I think they those guys something like $1-$2/lbs. for those things. They catch tons of it, though, in that short period of time.
Or the Gilligan's Island episode where dumb Gilligan thought he'd set a trap in deeper waters to get bigger lobsters, but the stick he used to measure the depth of the water was the same stick the Professor used to measure water levels, so he thought the island was sinking and they all thought they were doomed... Umm... yeah...
Had a cousin up in Mass. who used to be a lobsterwoman. She got out of the business because of some health reasons, but she never made much money. I'm surprised no one has mentioned one of the obvious reasons lobster is so expensive. Granted, this doesn't apply to warm water lobsters, but when most Americans think of lobster, they think of the large clawed lobsters known as Maine or American lobsters. Their meat is highly prized, and they are simply at their best when cooked alive. Keeping those critters alive as you ship them across the country is neither cheap nor easy, and it certainly contributes to their high price. Once they die, the meat--like most crustraceans--spoils quickly.
Me, too, and I still haven't figured out why. Every episode is the same dumb thing... 1) They're layin' out pots 2) They're bringin' up pots 3) Yay...these guys are hauling up a lot! 4) Aww... these guys aren't hauling up squat. 5) Oooh... they're fighting. 6) Next show - repeat.
My favorite Captain His health on the show scared me. Looks like he is gonna sit most of the season out. Who is the new captain on his boat?
I believe the lobsters found in New Zealand and Australia are called Rock Lobsters, btw. http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=9329145
Youre talking about Deadliest catch. They hunt for crab. Discovery had a show about lobster hunting too. Like fatty said, you just sat on your ass on a boat right off the coast of Maine.
