Maine's lobster industry: long-term hope, short-term concerns during pandemic

For now, the coronavirus pandemic isn’t affecting the lobstering industry in Maine the way that it is with other industries.

“The lobster season around here doesn’t start until around the 4th of July,” said Jason McDonald, President of the Board of Directors at the Stonington Lobster Co-op. “And I think a lot of people are hoping that the peak of this pandemic will be on it’s way down, and hopefully these markets will open back up.”

But that’s not to say there isn’t at least some concern.

“In the short term, I think the guys that are going now are kind of worried. Usually, there’s a higher price this time of year, because there’s less lobsters around. A lot of them are hanging back. It’s hard to go out and make anything.”

There is more lobster available than usual right now because there are fewer places to sell.

“A lot of the lobsters went to Spain, France, Europe. Now a lot of it’s going to China, which all these places have been struck. They’re not flying. They’re not accepting stuff. It’s scary.”

The global market for lobster has come to a virtual standstill. So the industry is urging local people to come to get lobster straight from the source.

“Anybody that wants to buy lobsters, it’s a great time to do it," McDonald said. "The co-ops, any of the dealers up and down the coast, are in the same boat. We have plenty of lobster, and there's plenty of people willing to sell them to you.”