Red Lobster executives visit coop.
If you didn’t know it before, some of those luscious lobsters we see on television commercials might just be from Belize. That’s right, about 95% of the lobsters caught in Belize end up in a Red Lobster Restaurant. Today the president and some of the top executives of the Red Lobster chain were in Belize to see for themselves how the best differs from the rest. Janelle Chanona reports.
Many fishermen will tell you catching lobster is a science, with its own secret codes and formulas for the laying of traps and the best spot on the seabed. Year after year, Belizean fishermen have braved bad weather, even sharks, in search of the elusive crustacean. But as the popularity of eating fresh lobster has grown, it’s brought higher prices, more fishermen and the threat of extinction. For the fishermen of the Northern Fishermen Cooperative, it’s brought a twenty-five year friendship with an American business and millions in foreign exchange.
Dick Rivera, President, Red Lobster Restaurant
“Well the lobsters themselves, the animals themselves are excellent. But the thing that really distinguishes, we believe, the Belizean lobster is the care that the fishermen take, from icing them out right when they are fresh and they are first caught to making sure they maintain the temperature when they come to the plant and then the practices in the plant.
At the same time, what was interesting to me is the workers that were there working seemed to really like what they were doing. They have employees that have been there ten, fifteen, twenty years, so there’s big commitment on the part of the people working there.”
Edna Morris, Red Lobster Executive
“I think what impressed me, the absolute most was the love and the heart with which the fishermen do their work; with which they fish. There’s a lot of soul and heart in it as well as a lot of knowledge, obviously. But they love the sea and they love the resource and it also shows in the product that we get at Red Lobster.”
But while Red Lobster’s customers expect to pay good money for a tropical treat, with prices in the twenty-dollar a pound range on the local market, lobster has become a delicacy few here at home manage to savor.
Robert Usher, General Manager, Northern Fishermen Coop.
“The price is determined pretty much by the export price. The export price for lobster is much higher than what we sell it for on the local market but lobster is an expensive product and there’s no way that we can sell it cheaply.”
But while prices are not likely to come down, there is concern that if Belize doesn’t start an even more aggressive campaign against illegal fishing, the price we’ll pay in the future will be even greater.
Dick Rivera
“Working to manage the resource in a responsible way so that it is sustainable. And we do that. It’s of concern to us because we have to have the supply. So it doesn’t do us any good if people are out taking undersized, taking shorts and females that are egg-bearing and this. It’s bad for us long term and the thing that’s remarkable about the cooperative of fishermen is that they realize that and they adhere to good strong practices.”
Alfred Williams, Fisherman, Monkey River Cooperative
“We do have a lot of overfishing in the south. That’s definitely a problem with lobster. And if we could overcome that, then you’ll get a lot more lobster.
But still we have a lot of problem with fishermen coming in from Guatemala and Honduras so once they can overcome that, you should see some bright seasons.”
But certainly the benefits of belonging to the Northern Fishermen Cooperative have never been better. The long-standing relationship has made Red Lobster a consistent client with fair and reasonable prices for the exported product. Rivera says he hopes the company can increase support for the local industry.
Dick Rivera
“We actually discussed a few ways we might be able to do that in the future. And while we don’t have anything definitive with no conclusions reached, we did agree to continue to explore it and see if there are some things that we can do jointly. It’s a very strong relationship.”
Janelle Chanona for News Five.
Prime Minister Said Musa was present at the luncheon today in honor of the executives from Red Lobster even though he’s allergic to lobster. He had chicken instead. The executives were taken to Caye Caulker this afternoon so they could see how Belizean fishermen trap lobsters. Belize also exports lobster and other marine products to Barbados, Taiwan and Japan. Since the start of the season in June, lobsters have earned Belize 3.5 million dollars.
