Lobster shortage drives up prices in Bay State

BOSTON – A shortage of lobsters is forcing diners across the region to fork over bigger bucks for a taste of the king of New England seafood.

At the Union Oyster House in Boston, the cost of a 11/2-pound lobster is $31.95, up from the usual $27.95, while other restaurants have opted to pull the item from their menus or have waiters warn diners before they order.

“I hate to say it, but we’ve added a surcharge on the lobsters. We’ve raised the prices three times in the past 10 days,” Bill Coyne, Union Oyster House chef, told The Boston Sunday Globe.

At Turner Fisheries, a 31/2-pound lobster will force diners to shell out as much as $115, while a 21/2-pound lobster costs $95, up from $68 just a few months ago, according to assistant manager Christine Terow.

Local lobstermen lay much of the blame on Canada, which they say typically stocks lobsters through the winter.

They say the stocks are thinner this year, and much of what is left is being shipped overseas where the profit is bigger.

“Europeans love our native lobsters,” Mario Mariani, manager of the Abbicci restaurant in Yarmouth, told The Boston Sunday Herald.

Mariani said part of the lure of the European market is a strong euro.

“They went to Canada and bought up the market anticipating some shortage,” he said. “The euro talks, and the dollar walks.”

Lobstermen also say the weather has been too cold to lay traps this winter. Those who have tried have found slim pickings.

“There’s a real shortage of lobsters in the whole system right now,” said Sooky Sawyer, first vice president of the Massachusetts Lobsterman’s Association.

Lobster lovers and restaurant owners can only lament the slow season and hope for a better catch in the future.

“Nobody’s happy,” said Jasper White, chef and owner of Summer Shack, who sells 250,000 pounds of lobster annually at his four restaurants. “Every year is like this, but this is extreme – very extreme.”