News Summary July 20, 2017
Today's Main Story: Booming Demand for Lobster Means Record Catches and High Prices
Today's lead item reports that the lobster business is booming in Maine. Lobstermen are hauling in record catches, while prices are near all-time highs. That's because the industry is also seeing record demand. U.S. lobstermen have seen their yearly haul quintuple over the last 30 years. They brought in 131 million pounds of the crustacean in 2016, more than 80 percent of that was caught in Maine. The industry made a huge push to increase demand, both domestically and around the globe. And they've had great success, especially in China, where distributors are marketing Maine lobster as a clean source of quality protein. It also helps that the Chinese word for lobster is similar to the word for dragon, it resembles the mythical creature and when cooked, it turns the lucky color red.
In other news, the Bristol Bay Sockeye run is not over yet, with word Monday that the Kvichak River seemed to finally “pop”, but this year’s fishery is shaping up to be one of the largest ever and certainly one of the most valuable in a long time. The total run was predicted to be 41.5 million, allowing for a harvest of 27.5 million sockeye, but through Monday the fleet had hauled in over 34 million and the total run was already past 51 million.
Meanwhile, it will be another week or so before ...
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