From the editor | Lobster tales
Gorgeous weather and cheap lobster prices kept the guest room in my house full this summer. But I confess, I felt the tiniest bit of guilt as we boiled up the umpteenth batch of lobsters.
Not because I have any hesitation around cooking everyone's favorite crustacean (Sorry, PETA, there are many things for which I carry guilt, but being at the top of the food chain isn't one of them). It was knowing that the $3.50 a pound we were paying for lobsters was doing little to help my lobstermen neighbors.
Intellectually, I grasp the market concepts of supply and demand, but emotionally, I worried that local fishing families were going to feel the pain of those rock-bottom prices throughout the winter. Adding to that unease are disappointing sales tax figures columnist Mal Leary reports in Capitol Update on page 12. Revenue from the sale of things like lobster was lower than expected in July and might prompt the state's forecasting committee to revise projections in November. I'd hoped that all that available, low-priced lobster would at least mean an uptick in sales by volume, if not prices.
The lobster-price crisis did, at least, generate some momentum around reviving the state's lobster processing industry, which has pretty much relocated to Canada. So I was pleased to read Contributing Writer Leslie Bowman's story, "Market conditions," starting on page 22, which introduces us to David Pottle, an Eastport entrepreneur who's investing $1.2 million in a state-of-the-art lobster pound. The story is part of our focus on Down East.
We also spend some time with Tom Saturley, the auctioneer handling the sale of the former Live Lobster facility in Gouldsboro that held such promise. The facility has been part of the local marine-industry scene since it was built in 1906 as sardine factory. Tom talks with Senior Writer Jim McCarthy about the property's market potential, in "High-stakes auction," starting on page 20. And we get a roundup of interesting developments throughout Down East Maine in "Economic strengths," on page 24.
In this issue, we introduce you to Brenda Kielty, the subject of Newsworthy on page 3, the state's incoming public access ombudsman. A lawyer by training, she is likely to get a real workout as public access laws are tested in ever-more challenging ways as more public information goes digital.
And speaking of future interests, make sure you check out the Oct. 15 issue of Mainebiz where we reveal our 2012 Next List — 10 people shaping Maine's economy in a good way. You'll be inspired (and if you want to meet them in person, mark Nov. 8 on your calendar when we'll honor our Nexters at a reception at the Harraseeket; see mainebiz.biz/ourevents for details.)
Who knows? If the lobster prices continue to be depressed, we could be serving lobster hors d'oeuvres. Maybe I'll be over my guilt by then …
Carol Coultas
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