Campaign to celebrate record lobster harvest

Record low prices for Maine lobster have opened the door for the Maine Lobster Promotion Council to launch a campaign featuring retail and foodservice promotions, contests and giveaways throughout New England.

In an email on Monday, the council announced that the campaign will begin in August. It’s being billed as the “Lobster Lover” campaign in celebration of a record harvest.

“Given the abundance of lobsters we have seen already this season, we are predicting another record level lobster harvest this year,” said Dane Somers, executive director of the Maine Lobster Promotion Council, in the email. “And because of this remarkable bounty, we want to celebrate one of our state’s most popular iconic symbols and encourage people to enjoy more lobster than ever. Maine’s lobster conservation efforts are clearly paying off, with record level lobster harvests recorded each of the last three years.”

Currently, supply is far outstripping demand for Maine lobster, which is driving down prices to record lows. Availability is so high because softshells came in earlier than usual this year. Much of that catch typically goes to Canadian processors, but the harvest in Canada has also been unusually strong. So softshells have flooded the local market, as they’re not durable enough to handle long-distances deliveries.

The record low prices are prompting Maine fishermen to tie up their boats. The Wall Street Journal on Monday quoted ex-vessel prices as low as USD 1.25 a pound in some areas, a nearly 30-year low for this time of year.

The glut of Maine lobsters and the record low prices have caught the attention of the mainstream media, which has given the issue a lot of coverage.

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