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By EDWARD D. MURPHY, Staff Writer Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Thank goodness lobster isn't an Easter staple.

A combination of weather, water temperature and the timing of fishing seasons has pushed retail lobster prices to about $15 a pound, probably the highest ever.

"Everything that can go wrong has gone wrong," said Peter McAleney, owner of New Meadows Lobster, which had exhausted its supply Monday. "At these prices, ham and lamb is pretty cheap."

Bob Bayer, executive director of the Lobster Institute, said this winter's harsh weather, particularly the wind, made it tough for lobstermen to get out on the water. Even if they had gone out, he said, they'd find few lobsters, because the ocean water temperature is below normal for this time of year. When the water is abnormally cold, lobsters are less inclined to eat, meaning they're not likely to head into a trap in search of a meal.

Finally, he said, tidal lobster pounds have done poorly over the past few years, and lobster dealers have kept fewer lobsters there. A tidal lobster pound is a netted-in area near the shore where lobsters caught in the fall are held and fed until they're sold over the winter.

Maine tidal lobster pounds have the capacity to hold as much as 6 million pounds of lobster, but only half that amount was stocked last fall, Bayer said, further depressing supplies.

The result is sticker shock at the seafood counter.

"It's the highest I've ever seen," said Steve DiMillo, owner of DiMillo's Floating Restaurant on the Portland waterfront. The price "has been ramping up for the past few weeks, and we've been buying less."

His seafood buyer wasn't able to find any lobsters Monday, but it didn't matter, because DiMillo wasn't buying anyway. His customers aren't ordering as much at the higher prices.

DiMillo said he's been paying $45 a pound for lobster meat and $11.50 a pound for whole lobsters -- wholesale. He's added a 25 percent surcharge to all lobster dishes to help cover the higher cost, which is leading some customers to try different menu items.

McAleney said lobsters are selling for about $18 a pound in New York, but "even with the high prices, they're not catching much, so it doesn't even pay for the fuel" to head out.

McAleney said he didn't even open Sunday morning as usual, because lobster supplies are close to non-existent. He said he was able to supply his wholesale customers last week, but that was mainly because the price prompted them to order less.

Both McAleney and Bayer said relief is in sight.

The weather should improve -- sometime. The water will begin to warm and perk up lobsters' appetites, and the Canadian lobster season will start soon. Bayer said Canadian waters are divided into about 40 districts with different opening and closing dates, but most will open by the end of the month.

McAleney said a rush of supply should help to push prices down.

"When it falls, it's going to fall hard," he said.

That's good news for DiMillo, heading into the summer tourist season. However, he said that most tourists who head to his restaurant are looking for lobster, and a few dollars more wouldn't deter many.

It doesn't even scare off some of the natives.

Paul McKenney, a financial planner and town councilor in Cape Elizabeth, said DiMillo's $4 surcharge wasn't enough to stop him from ordering a $16 lobster club sandwich, a treat he indulges in maybe twice a month.

"I don't have lobster all that often, so I don't see it as a really big deal," he said. "If it was a staple, like milk or bread or eggs, I would feel differently."

Besides, "it was delicious," McKenney said.

Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy can be reached at 791-6465 or at: