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Lobster what springs to mind when you think about it? Expensive, elite, only for the rich? Perhaps to day but hundreds of years ago when it was regarded almost as the cockroach of the sea it was a food which was out of convenience and lack of choice the food of the poor.

When the first European migrants arrived on the shores of North America lobsters were everywhere literally; they were washed up in piles on the beach and presented one of the easiest meals available. For poor families they were food sent from God easy to catch and cheap.

So how is it that they are known as a luxury food today? Realising what an easy catch there was so close to shore, some enterprising individuals started collecting lobsters commercially. As people arrived, stayed on the coast a while and then moved inland they still wanted lobsters. Not only that but the new developments in transport and food storage meant that lobsters could be quickly sent to inland cities. Everywhere there sprung up fancy restaurants that based their business around the lobster. Those businessmen who had seized on the new opportunities had money to spare on lavish living and wanted to flaunt their wealth. The lobster suppliers and the restaurants saw this and took advantage; lobster was expensive not because it was rare or difficult to produce but because it had to be transported long distances and because those who wanted it had the money to pay. At the end of the nineteenth century the lobster industry was thriving. New England fishermen were doing exceptionally well and lobster was fetching a high price.

However, like we see with the oil industry today, stocks rapidly became depleted and so the price crept up. Lobster became the luxury that we still consider it today. Determined attempts to protect over fishing have caused production to rise quite significantly but not to the level it once was. Furthermore, it should be remember that even though people are willing to spend more on really good food than they used to and perhaps what we eat is not so class based, lobster is still considered a luxury food not because of its price but because there is a recognition that we must not allow it to become so scarce again.

Another reason the price has remained high in spite of the increased production is that lobsters are now much smaller than they used to be. In the past it was not uncommon for lobsters to weigh as much as forty pounds but the average lobster today comes in at around 2 pounds.

As we demand a greater choice of food we look to other markets to export those foodstuffs we cannot produce ourselves. Although the lobster is now fished in a greater number of places, much of the lobster bought around the world still comes from North America (primarily New England and Canada) but it is flown many thousands of miles to be consumed. This is not cheap and as people start to consider how far their food has traveled and the environmental impact of this, it is possible that the price may rise further.

The only tip I can give to make the cost less painful is to remind you to use as much of the lobster as you can if you are eating it at home. Make soups and stocks of the leftover parts to get your money's worth. Happy eating!

Learn more about this author, Fiona Thompson.
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