June 19, 2012 – The state's Lobster Advisory Council, as part of a broader initiative to rebrand Maine lobster to increase demand and boost prices, is considering recasting the name of the soft-shell lobster as something more … attractive.
"Not that many people have nice things to say about soft-shells," John Sauve, a consultant for the Lobster Advisory Council and president of the Food and Wellness Group in Portland, said last week at a meeting of lobstermen.
Soft-shells are lobsters that have molted recently, shedding their old hard shells so they can grow into new, larger shells. They have less meat per pound than hard-shells, but that meat is perceived as more tender and sweet. And they're easier to crack and eat.
So what's so bad?
For Maine's lobster industry, whose catch was worth more than $331 million last year, the problem is that soft-shells fetch lower prices because they have less meat and they're too fragile to pack and ship long distances.
Read the full story from the Portland Press Herald.