The former Wildcat lobster pound in Tenants Harbor may soon be shipping product to Asia.
Peter Yee of New Jersey and his cousin Steve Yip, Hong Kong natives who both grew up in New York City, are planning to purchase the long-established pound from Travis Simmons of Tenants Harbor. CY Lobster LLC hopes to be shipping live lobster to Chinese markets soon. The firm may also ship periwinkles and sea urchins. Meanwhile, they have undertaken repairs to the pound and wharf.
The partners envision shipping as much as one million pounds of lobster annually to New York and overseas markets. For now, they hope to find local lobstermen willing to sell to them. “We have the market. All we need is the lobster,” Yee said. “We hope all the fishermen around here will help us out.” Maine lobster landings set a record last year at 93 million pounds, worth some $300 million on the market.
Yee, 57, said he has been a New York fish dealer and aircraft parts executive. He said over the years he has forged strong business connections in Hong Kong and Shanghai, China. Maine lobsters are not well known and ought to be promoted in these places, he said. Canadian and Australian lobsters are already being sold in Asia, where some customers also refer to “Boston lobster.”
Simmons closed his lobster business and has listed the property for sale at more than $1 million. The current asking price is $685,000, through St.George Realty, which lists the property as “sale pending.” The property includes the pound, a three-bedroom waterfront house, shed, dock, and permits for a ramp, float, and commercial operations on the site.
Yee said the property includes several acres and a huge pile of discarded chunks of granite from Wildcat quarry—known locally as Atwood’s quarry. He said he would consider selling off the stone.
Yee is married with three grown children and two grandchildren. He said his family hopes to come to Tenants Harbor in the summertime. Denny Smith of Richmond has been hired to manage the business locally from a dockside office.