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A BRIEF HISTORY OF YARMOUTH LOBSTERS
Yarmouth Lobsters began in December of 1985 when Lobster George (d'Entremont) moved from Yarmouth County,
Nova Scotia to Toronto, Ontario and couldn't buy good Lobster in Toronto. Here's his story:
Lobster George was born and raised in West Pubnico, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. His father, Benjamin (Benny Bowling)
and his uncle Wilfred (Mayor du bois-d'Isidor) were part-time Lobster Fishermen. Lobster George first tasted
lobster caught by his dad and his uncle.
Annual chores related to lobster fishing for his dad Ben included grounding the lobster boat (the Joyce and David V),
its haul-up above the high water mark on the shore and painting the lobster boat. His uncle overhauled and repaired
the wooden lobster traps and painted the buoys annually. Although, Lobster George remembers that he had to help
paint buoys on several occasions.
The first time Lobster George went lobster fishing was at age 13, to help his father and his uncle on "Dumping Day".
"Dumping Day" is the last Monday of November, which is the first day of the lobster-fishing season in southwestern
Nova Scotia. Lobster boats are loaded to the gunwales the prior weekend and boats are allowed to set their traps
starting 8:00 am on dumping day. There is a picture of a lobster boat taken the weekend prior to dumping day, which
fully loaded with wooden lobster traps (see pictures of boats).
Fishing for lobsters with his father and uncle Wilfred was fun. One time, they hauled in a trap with a lot of
lobsters. It had at least five or six lobsters and some of them were close to being jumbo size. George's uncle
Wilfred shouted out "George, throw the bait hatchet overboard to mark the spot". George took the hatchet and threw
it over the side. That's when Lobster George new he would never be a lobster fishermen.
In 1985 Lobster George moved to Toronto to find employment in the finance and accounting field. One day he decided
to try live lobster from a tank at large supermarket chain. He paid what he felt was a premium price, over $12 per
pound. Shortly after bringing the lobsters home, they were steamed and he sat down to eat them. The lobsters didn't
have the same sweet salty taste that he was use to and they were not as full of meat as the lobsters he had in Nova
Scotia.
That same year, George's father retired from a thirty year career on the MV Bluenose - the car and passenger ferry that
once operated between Bar Harbor, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. His father was looking for something to keep
himself occupied while earning a few extra dollars. That's when Lobster George and his father decided they would try
to ship lobsters to Toronto. If nothing else, George would get good quality lobsters. His father always said: "to have
good fresh fish it has to be eaten within hours of being taken from the ocean, not days or weeks like beef".
In December of 1985, George's father purchased 10 pounds of lobsters from a fishermen and shipped them to Toronto via
air freight. The lobsters arrived the next day in perfect shape. George invited a few of his friends for dinner and
received numerous complements and inquiries on if they could buy some the next time. One of his more imaginative
buddy's, Graham Petersen (nicknamed Captain Jean-Luc Pickard) said "George, that was the tastiest seafood I've ever
had, and I don't even like lobsters". That was the start of Yarmouth Lobsters.
Then came Diane (the Boss, Cutie or Crabby Diane depending on Lobster George's mood) who actually did some marketing
activities to promote the business. This included building a database of existing customer and sending them a flyer
twice a year to remind them of lobster season. Flyers are now sent out to approximately 300 private individuals and
restaurants in late November (for December, January and February shipping dates) and in late April (for May shipping
dates). To be included on the mailing list, email Lobster George
with your name, mailing address, including postal code and your home telephone number.
In the last few years the product line has been expanded to include live oysters, live sea scallops, atlantic salmon,
fresh halibut and fresh frozen haddock. Most of the product are either caught or processed in the Yarmouth County area.
As of September 2001, Yarmouth Lobsters is a full time business shipping seafood twice a week for delivery on Tuesdays
and Fridays. Additional products include scallops, shrimps and fresh fish. Bison was added to the product list in 2002.
A list of current products can be found on the Seafood List and Aprrox. Price page.
George's father still makes wooden lobster traps using oak lathes and spruce bow, with knitted nylon heads. However,
they are only about one fifth of the size and weigh a lot less.
How to cook lobster
Other lobster recipes
Lobster and haddock chowder
Smoked Salmon Salad Appetizer
Map of lobster bay
Lobster Fishing seasons in the Maritimes
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