Maine Bond campaign kicks off, with supporters urging $7 million for lobster industry processing
SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton - Sept. 22, 2014
It appears that both Maine and Canada are taking steps to boost the competitiveness of their lobster industries.
However, a race to increase processing capacity carries risks if the recent trend of surging landings in both countries does not continue.
Currently there are about 15 companies producing lobster meat and tails in Maine, along with some new plants in Massachusetts as well.
In Canada, where the plants are larger and more established, there are about 25 plants in the Maritime provinces, excluding Quebec.
Historically, these Canadian plants have relied on buying Maine lobster in the summer because Maine had little capacity for processing itself, and the lobster were primarily sold to summer tourists. So having a market for excess landings helped support the price on both sides of the border.
However, in the past few years this situation has changed. First, there has been huge growth in Maine landings...
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