Patrick Whittle
Associated Press
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Despite disruptions to supply chains and international trade due to the coronavirus pandemic, Chinese demand for U.S. lobster shows no signs of slowing this year.
Demand for crustaceans in China grew dramatically in the 2010s, in part due to the expansion of the country’s middle class. Lobster is especially popular in winter as they are a popular delicacy for Chinese New Year on February 1st this year.
In the first 11 months of 2021, U.S. exporters shipped more than 13.2 million pounds of lobster to China. This is an increase of about 6% from the same period last year.
The pandemic has made the already daunting task of shipping live seafood around the world more challenging, but Maine lobster exporters are gearing up for a decent Chinese New Year, Bill Bruns said. The operations manager of Arundel-based The Lobster Co. said the company was unable to deliver lobsters to Beijing due to COVID-19 restrictions, but they were able to deliver to other airports such as Shenzhen, complicating freight.
“Chinese New Year has been a piece of crap for the past few years,” Bruns said. “But I’m ready. I have staff. Because otherwise it’s going to be a long spring.”
China buys lobster from the United States (where the industry is primarily located in Maine) and Canada (where the industry is located in the Atlantic provinces). According to John Sackton, an industry analyst and founder of SeafoodNews.com, Canada’s export growth in the first 11 months of 2021 has even outpaced the United States compared to 2020.
There are signs of a peak season for the industry, Sackton said. Seafood consumption could also get a boost from the Beijing Winter Olympics, which are scheduled to start a few days after the Lunar New Year, he said.
“I don’t see this year’s Chinese New Year lobster consumption not exceeding last year’s,” Sackton said.
The U.S. lobster industry experienced similar challenges in the first year of the pandemic in 2020, culminating in a strong export season. The value of exports was down from a record year in 2018, but still well over $100 million.
The high price of lobster has played a role in this year’s export value. A 1.25-pound hard-shell lobster was fetching $11.25 a pound in New England this month, according to business publishing firm Urner Barry. This is more than a third higher than in January 2021.
To transport lobsters to China, fishermen in the United States and Canada have to trap them in the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Maine Lobster Association president Kristan Porter said this year’s severe weather has made it difficult for Maine fishermen to do so, but fishermen can still have a decent winter on the water.
“When people get out of there, they do a great job,” Porter said. “Fishing in winter requires someone who works harder than me.”
