138 ABOUT LOBSTERS 



lobsterman's gear, and help to iron out the seasonal nature 

 of the industry. The expense of transportation can be re- 

 duced, partly by reducing the bulk of lobster (and ice) 

 shipments, and partly by spreading the shipping season 

 over a greater part of the year. Two experimental methods 

 of processing lobsters have been described. 1 They have not 

 yet been successful, but they point the way toward better 

 marketing. 



Some lobstermen resent the profit of the man to whom 

 they sell. " The buyer doesn't have to put out in vile 

 weather. He doesn't have to stand the loss of gear in a 

 storm. He doesn't have to carry the loss when the catch is 

 so poor that it doesn't pay for the gas. Yet he makes a lot 

 better living than I do." All this is true, and a simpler sys- 

 tem of marketing would be desirable. But roadside stands 

 and door-to-door peddling, which would work when the 

 industry was small, won't work today. It is impractical 

 for the lobsterman to deal with the consumer. Now, the 

 lobsterman loses track of his catch. His lobsters are resold 

 several times, and several middlemen are involved. The 

 buyer has his griefs too, and must be paid for his contribu- 

 tion to the chain of marketing to ensure that the lobsters 

 reach the consumer in the desired form. He has to absorb 

 culls and dead lobsters ( sometimes a high percentage ) , fur- 

 nish the capital to pay the lobsterman on delivery, sell gear 

 (often at cost), supply bait, grade the catch, furnish ice 

 and transportation, and take the gamble that he can sell his 

 lobsters at a profit. He is a necessary link in the chain. 



The dealer takes the biggest gamble. Granted that the 

 lobsterman risks loss of his traps in a storm, but the money in 

 his catch has a quick turnover. He handles hundreds of 

 pounds of lobster per week against the thousands of pounds 

 of a dealer. He sells for cash, usually at a flat pound price 

 without deduction for one-clawed or even weak lobsters. 



The buyer naturally wants to buy as cheaply as pos- 

 sible and sell for as much as he can, and this understandable 

 attitude irks many lobstermen, who often think their buyers 



1 See pages 123-28. 



