120 ABOUT LOBSTERS 



ment or belly of the plane and as these are pressurized 

 the altitude does not affect the lobsters too much. We 

 do, however, have a new problem with the jet flights. 

 On a recent jet flight shipment, the pilot took the plane 

 to 30,000 feet to avoid poor weather; the temperature in 

 the belly was down to minus thirty degrees, and the lob- 

 sters arrived badly. 



Strange though it may seem, there are actually 

 some cities in the country where we can ship by air 

 cheaper than by rail. This is due mostly to the sharp 

 drop in rates when you reach the hundred pound level. 

 We would think, however, that air charges would aver- 

 age ten to fifteen per cent higher than railway charges. 



We ship Canadian lobsters whenever they are 

 available in preference to the Maine lobsters as they 

 are stronger, harder shelled, and more fully meated. As 

 a general rule, these lobsters will cost us more than the 

 Maine lobster, but they are worth it. The lobsters are 

 usually plugged by the fishermen as they catch them 

 and we prefer to have both claws plugged so they will 

 not damage each other. 



No full place loads are required except when we 

 have them flown to us from Newfoundland, at which 

 time full or half loads of thirteen thousand or sixty-five 

 hundred pounds is a minimum. The airlines will accept 

 single packages, which usually are carried by passenger 

 planes, although some are carried by air freighters. 



Lobsters are shipped year-round but naturally we 

 have better results in the winter and spring when the 

 lobsters are in their best condition and cooler weather 

 prevails. We concentrate mostly on smaller accounts 

 which permit us a higher margin of profit. 



There is only a cursory examination by the airlines 

 to make sure the carton will not come apart in transit. 

 We are very particular in the accounts we accept and 

 accept the customer's word if he has any fault to find 

 with the shipment. As we have yet to receive any false 



