May 16, 2016 โ LITTLE CRANBERRY ISLAND, Maine โ The long journey from this remote island of free-spirited fishermen to the most populous country in the world began, as it does most mornings, at just about sunrise. Bruce Fernald, a sixth-generation fisherman, loaded his 38-foot fiberglass boat with half a ton of bait and set out in search of Maineโs famed crustacean: the lobster.
One by one, Fernald checked the 800 traps he had placed along 30 square miles at the bottom of the Gulf of Maine. He quickly hauled each wire cage onto his boat, reached a gloved hand inside and plucked out the lobster lurking within. The young ones, the breeders and the crusty old ones were thrown back into the water. The rest were dropped into a saltwater tank to keep them alive and energetic on their 7,000-mile trip to China.
โJust do everything you can to not stress them out,โ Fernald, 64, said of his cargo. โThe less stressed they are, the more healthy theyโll be, just like people.โ
Little Cranberry, an island of 70 inhabitants, and China, a nation of 1.4 billion people, increasingly find themselves connected by the shifting currents of the world economy. The rise of Chinaโs middle class has coincided with a boom in Maineโs lobster population, resulting in a voracious new market for the crustaceansโ succulent, sweet meat. Exports of lobsters to China, nonexistent a decade ago, totaled $20 million last year. The bright red color of a lobsterโs cooked shell is considered auspicious, making it a staple during Chinese festivals and at weddings.