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Lobster's off: Bad weather leads to shortage in supply with landings falling



Restaurants have taken Scottish lobster off the menu after poor weather caused shortages and sent prices rocketing.

Fishermen in Scotland say lobster catches are down by 90 per cent because prolonged bad weather on the East Coast has damaged their equipment, forcing them to spend more time on shore repairing it.

They have also been unable to get out to sea because many of the piers and jetties they use have been washed away by the long winter's storms.



Fishermen's gear including the wicker 'creels' they use to catch the lobsters in have been damaged by storms

And the extended cold weather has forced lobsters and other crustraceans such as langoustines to stay further out to sea, as they only come in towards the shore when water temperatures rise.

As a result, diners in upmarket restaurants across Britain are having to go without.

Langan's Brasserie off Piccadilly took grilled lobster off the menu last week as scarcity forced prices up.


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Managing director Brian Clivaz told MailOnline: 'Prices went from £17.50 a kilo to £21.50, and then £25, and then we decided to take it off the menu altogether, as Langan's is all about affordable prices and we just couldn't ask our customers to pay those prices.

'The shortage was also a result of the cold weather, as lobsters only come in towards the shore when it warms up, and they are still out to sea.'

Seafood restaurant Gamba Glasgow did the same after prices rose by 72.4 per cent in three weeks, going from £15 a kilo to £25.



Delicious, but at a price: The scarcity of native British lobsters has forced prices up by £10 a kilo

The restaurant's owner and head chef Derek Marshall said: 'Our Scottish lobster thermidor dish is one of the most popular items on our menu.

'A single portion is a half-kilo, and with the shortage and price hike we weren't willing to ask our customers to pay the 72% increase.

'We also couldn't guarantee that we would have lobster as our supplier has been struggling for weeks, with any Scottish lobster being shipped off to Europe.'

The Scottish Creel Fishermen's Federation said landings had fallen by 90per cent off the east coast of Scotland, forcing a sharp rise in wholesale prices.

Langoustine catches were also reported to be as much as 70per cent down in the Clyde fisheries area, and the federation said cold weather had forced lobsters further out to sea.



Lobster creels, like these on Islay, have been damaged or washed away by rough seas and storms over the winter

Federation chairman Alistair Sinclair told MailOnline: 'The real problem is the severe weather along the East Coast, which has ruined the fishermen's gear.

'They're having to spend their time retrieving and then repairing their gear, as without gear you can't fish.

'They've also been unable to get far enough out to catch them because of rough seas: a lobster fisherman went missing last week in bad weather off the isle of Luing.'

Mr Sinclair said catches on Scotland's east coast, which has suffered particularly bad weather, were down 90 per cent, which meant fishermen were suffering financially.



'Lobster is as rare as hens' teeth at the moment - we are hoping the weather will improve soon.'

- Alistair Sinclair, Scottish Creel Fishermen's Federation

'These guys often work on a overdraft, and if you can't service that, it's not good news,' he said. 'We are all hoping the weather will improve soon.'

The federation, which has about 500 members, estimates overall creel fishing in Scotland to be worth about £39m a year.

One fish supplier said fisherman had been struggling to catch any lobster from their boats

Andy Bell, owner of supplier The Fish People, said: 'The water is abnormally cold for this time of year and our fisherman have been struggling to catch any lobster from their boats as the lobster are hibernating and further out to sea.

'This limited availability and demand has driven the price per kilo up and any lobsters that are caught are being sold for a high price.'

While it's disastrous for fishermen, restaurant-goers can choose alternatives.Langan's' Mr Clivaz said: 'There are still a lot of nice crabs around, and the English asparagus season has begun.'

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