As the price of lobster suddenly dropped in October, a Stonington nonprofit held a lobster sale to bring community members together and raise awareness about the crisis and how it impacts local lobstermen
Around 350 people lined up at the fish pier in Stonington, Maine on Sunday, October 12 and bought 4,441 pounds of lobster. So many people attended the event that the line stretched all the way from the pier to Stonington’s main street, with prospective buyers often waiting more than half an hour for their lobsters.
The event, called the Stonington Lobster Take-out, was arranged and publicized widely in less than 36 hours by Jennifer Larrabee, a member of the board of directors for Penobscot East Resource Center (PERC), and a team of volunteers.
Larrabee said of the event, “It became a huge community effort as soon as we presented the idea, and everyone came together to pull it off.”
Since the purpose of this event was to raise public awareness, according to PERC, as opposed to providing temporary financial support for the lobstermen, customers paid only $3.50 per lobster at the event.
The lobster was purchased by PERC for $11,740, and the total amount received at the sale was $12,575, according to a release.
Even at $3.50 per lobster, the price received by the lobstermen was a great improvement over the average price that fishermen received for lobsters last week. In Stonington, the average price per lobster was $2.25 on October 11, a 20-year low, according to a release from the Stonington Economic Development Committee.
The event netted $835, with PERC kicking in additional money so that $1,000 was distributed directly to local lobstermen through $5 gas credits.
The event was the result of an emergency meeting on Friday morning between Larrabee, other members of the PERC organization, and members of the community.
The meeting was called to discuss what the group could do about the plight of lobstermen and the economic conditions that they are facing. In the words of Robin Alden, executive director of PERC: “We felt we had to do something, it is always better to do something than nothing. We can’t eat our way out of this situation, but you never know what’s going to happen due to the start we’ve made with today’s event. When one is adjusting to a serious change or loss, as is the case here, sometimes just coming together makes a big difference. This event is exactly what community-based fisheries are all about.”
A band consisting entirely of fishermen, Pieces, played smooth classic rock numbers for attendees as they waited in line for their lobsters.
Other local lobstermen in attendance were very enthusiastic about the success of the event, though worried about the future.
“Maine’s lobster landings are down because nobody’s going out,” said Richard Larrabee Jr., president of the Stonington Fisheries Alliance. “We’ve been fighting it all year-it’s not a shortage, they’re just in different places than where we’ve been fishing. Bait is going for top dollar due to shortage and fuel prices are up also. People are going fishing less because it costs so much to go.
“Our next fight is going to be on landings-they’re going to look at trap limits because the landings are down. But it’s the fuel and bait prices, and the prices for lobster that are keeping people from going,” said Richard Larrabee.
“Who’s making the profit? There’s a profit in there somewhere,” said Donald Jones, a Stonington lobsterman. “If people can cough up $30 for a lobster, why can’t the fishermen see more of a profit? We’re the ones with the businesses on the line. Prices dropped a $1 per pound in just a week. The lobsters just started moving and now we have to give them away. Without the Canadian processors, this is the price we get.”
Attendees were thrilled with the idea of the event. Spencer Evans, a resident of Brooksville hopes that “it’s the start of a trend: selling directly off the boat. Direct sales, why not? Look at all the people at this event.”
When asked why he came to Sunday’s event, Harry Madson of Bucks Harbor/South Brooksville said “Brooksville has three or four lobstermen that we know are struggling, and we’re here to support them.”
A visitor from Sommersville, Massachusetts, heard about the event while visiting Stonington for the weekend with a friend. “This is cool, what a great idea! It’s good to see the local community here supporting the lobstermen, we’re glad to be a part of it,” said Margery Gans.
Those interested in learning more about what can be done to help local lobstermen should contact Annie Tselikis of the Penobscot East Resource Center at 367-2708 or at www.penobscoteast.org.