Lobsters

[candoo]

Am off to Maine shortly for the first time in yonks.

Used to bring back a couple of "live ones" as carry on baggage, under the current regime anyone know if I can still do so?

thanks

Candoo

[PAXboy]

I have never heard/seen this being done and cannot imagine for a single second that it would be allowed. I suggest that you contact the customer services of your carrier and get it in writing. Since the creatures live in water - how are you proposing to bring them back on an eight hour flight with all the hours before and after that?

On a personal note, if I saw a fellow passenger attempting to embark with such cargo, I would voice the greatest possible concern to the airline.

[Guern]

Used to be able to buy them at Boston Airport but that was a couple of years back now.

[Smiliesam]

.... you microchip it, have a rabies titre done and get it a Pet Passport.

Just eaten one prepared by Husband. Quite nice...:)

[flybywire]

well, since they should be kept in fresh water, if you can pack them in a resealable 20x20cm plastic bag.....

:rolleyes:

[Rollingthunder]

Lobsters are shipped all the time. They are boxed in cartons with plastic liners and packed with moist material not actually in water. They are OK for a couple of days or so. This is how Atlantic lobsters get to the Pacific coast and places like Scranton and Las Vegas. Dunno about cabin baggage tho' - I do know Easyjet does not allow them on board.

[Bangkokeasy]

We have brought in cooked lobsters from Norway to Thailand before now in checked luggage (one Christmas a couple of years ago brought in two suitcases full). Apart from the need to "deal" with the customs at this end, with no ill effects. It is actually better to bring fresh things in hold luggage, because the temperature is lower. You will get fewer questions too. Recommend to cook them first though.

[rugmuncher]

"Anthony's Pier 4 Lobsters" at Boston Logan will box a live lobster in dry ice for you in a sealed box,, give them a call or a mailie to find out what the current rules are, have done it before and they are de-lish!:}

[AlphaWhiskyRomeo]

"Anthony's Pier 4 Lobsters" at Boston Logan will box a live lobster in dry ice for you in a sealed box,, give them a call or a mailie to find out what the current rules are, have done it before and they are de-lish!:}


I think this will cause problems. I know that UK authorities have stopped fishermen bringing back their private catch from Canada and the US recently - in hand luggage and checked in luggage I believe.

I know that certain famous seafood markets in the US will ship products in boxes to customers in the US states, but they don't advertise about shipping them to other countries.

[flybywire]

"Anthony's Pier 4 Lobsters" at Boston Logan will box a live lobster in dry ice for you in a sealed box,, give them a call or a mailie to find out what the current rules are, have done it before and they are de-lish!:}

DRY ICE??? It is actually classified as Dangerous Goods and if you choose to do it yourself you have to pack them appropriately, in a specific container with DG labels etc and will have to ask permission to the airline. On top of that the Captain will have to phisically sign for it if he/she accepts the load!!

Be careful guys, if you do these things do it the proper way, better be safe than sorry...ICAO rules are very clear.

[garthicus]

It is indeed still done, in Halifax Airport, Nova Scotia, they have a huge tank of them and you can pick your lobster and they will live pack it for you.. now as for the legalities from the Department of Agriculture in your own country.. I haven't a clue!!!!

[PAXboy]

The UK (and other Euro countries) are very cautious about bringing food into the country. They do not like any kind of packed meat and many vegetables are also prohibited.

There are established rules for freighting these items but cabin baggage???? I sincerely hope not.

[flybywire]

cabin baggage???? I sincerely hope not.

I do not think so either. Plus as I have said, dry ice is a NO NO NO NO NO in the cabin, or even in the hold if it is not decleared and appropriately packed etc.

[Miraz]

I did this a few times - the lobsters were on sale air-side at Logan - but haven't done it for 10 years or more.

They used to get packed in little cardboard boxes with two of them to a box, claws all cable-tied together with a little cold gel pack to keep it cool.

On one flight I fished the box out from under the seat upon arrival to find one of them had wandered off during the night....obviously didn't get noticed by anybody on it's travels, but can't imagine it smelt good when it finally expired.

[garthicus]

^^^
Yes the lobsters I saw for sale were definitley packed for hand luggage. I think they are on sale in a store called 'Clearwater'

[Devils Martini]

Went out with a posh bird once, she gave me lobsters.

Boom boom, couldn't resist.

[ShamRoc]

This might help!

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/illegali/default.htm

[Miraz]

....so no problem if you borrow a jug of boiling water from the galley and cook them as a mid-flight snack then?

:)

[Tempsford]

When we operated through Bangor, there were occasions when lobsters made the trip back to the UK. They were packed in polystyrene boxes to make the trip. On one trip back I had two lobsters in a box, claws with rubber bands round them, but they were very much alive. This was confirmed when I placed a lobster on the lap of a Cabin Crew member who was having a rest on the L1 Jump Seat.

Temps

[the flying scot]

Just to clarify, dry ice most certainly can be carried on a/c without the commander's authorisation(beleive it or not). Up to 4.4lbs can be carried in the cabin as long as it doesn't react withe the perishables it is keeping cold. IATA dangerous goods rules.

Whether or not you can bring lobsters into the EU... now that is another matter.....

[obgraham]

I understand the concern about the dry ice, and also that customs regs might be less than favorable, but a bunch of you have expressed concern that the lobsters "shouldn't be allowed" in the cabin luggage. Can you explain your concerns? I was unaware that lobsters were considered hazmats.

[PAXboy]

My concern is from the perspective of a PAX who has no desire to see a creature made to exist in an alien atmosphere. To be cought, trapped, tied down and then subject to changes in air pressure, water and every other aspect that it has known strikes me as cruelty in the extreme.

I may not be able top prevent people behaving in such a callous fashion but I do not wish to be in their presence, or the captured creature that I would not be able to assist.

I think that transport of live animals (land or sea dwelling) should be stopped. Please note that I am not vegetarian but this forced transport under these conditions shows humans to be a base creature.

[candoo]

Forgot I posted this, thanks for the responses.

Miraz - that's exactly what I used to do out of Boston!

PAXboy

My concern is from the perspective of a PAX who has no desire to see a creature made to exist in an alien atmosphere. To be cought, trapped, tied down and then subject to changes in air pressure, water and every other aspect that it has known strikes me as cruelty in the extreme.

What like fellow passengers!

Come on it's a lobster, many animals are freighted on a daily basis without ill effect, admittedly most don't end up in the pot.

[obgraham]

I think that transport of live animals (land or sea dwelling) should be stopped. Heavens! Unless we catch it in our own back yard, all our meat/seafood has to be transported somewhere. And what about wheat -- surely it has feelings, too!

[PAXboy]

candoo May I presume that you understand the fact that SLF are Self Loading and make this choice [of boarding an a/c] of their own volition?

obgraham As far as my school biology lessons explained it, wheat has no central nervous system, further when it is transported, it is already dead as it has been harvested. The fact that much foodstuff is transported alive is no reason to wish to reduce that and to support those who do so.

[Miraz]

Given that the end-fate of the wee beastie is being boiled alive, I would have thought that welfare considerations on the flight were pretty academic.

[obgraham]

candoo May I presume that you understand the fact that SLF are Self Loading and make this choice [of boarding an a/c] of their own volition?So pax, your position is the lobster should have an equal vote on its itinerary and seat assignment?

[garthicus]

Paxboy,

You try eating a lobster that has been 'dead' at time of purchase then transported for goodness knows how long on an aircraft, then into your car and back to your home.. I doubt you'd eat lobster again!!! Lobsters and Crabs 'spoil' easily and therefore have to be transported live or Frozen and indeed if you do buy them dead (From the Fishmongers for instance) you must cook them soon after purchase i.e. within a few hours. Not only for hygeine and health reasons, but also for flavour. Sorry, but it's the truth.

[TightSlot]

Wow! Where's this thread going next?





Hopefully somewhere away from the ethics of live lobster transportation and back towards matters of aviation?

[PAXboy]

Before the thread gets canned (pun intended) I will make one last statement to those that asked why some objected. [hint to mods: it weren't me that started the thread slide, guv, honest!]

If lobster needs to be 'fresh' then eaither eat it frozen, or only eat it when you are near to where it is caught. Since this will be less often, it should improve your enjoyment by rarity.

Miraz I think that your comment highlights the exact point that I am making.

obgraham I know that you think it is amusing to say "So pax, your position is the lobster should have an equal vote on its itinerary and seat assignment?" but I am actually saying that, since it does not have a choice, we should not put it through such an experience. It's the kind of reasoning and consideration that human beings like to take unto themselves when they refer to themselves as being part of 'the higher mammals'. Which is not how we treat these (and all too many other) creatures.

garthicus "I doubt you'd eat lobster again" That is simple, I never have eaten this animal and never will.

[Bangkokeasy]

Well Paxboy, you have certainly missed out - lobsters, particularly the cold water kind, are wonderful.

I can say from personal experience that it is fine to transport cooked lobsters in the hold as checked baggage in normal suitcases, even for long haul flights of 12 hours or more, where the hold temperature is far lower than that in the cabin. After which, you can enjoy the delicious, plump little creatures with potato salad, mayonnaise and a glass of sauvignon blanc.

Quite apart from having to run the gauntlet of hungry security staff, I can imagine what might happen if they were transported live in the cabin and the dry ice evaporated, or leaked. With a cabin temperature of 24c or so, I would not want to be sitting anywhere near the things! :eek:

[candoo]

I didn't think for one moment that this thread would evoke such strong emotions.

IMO there are several things worthy of discussion, though not in this forum! I have no idea how to transfer a thread so if you're around Tightslot please move appropriately.

Lobsters do not have feelings, only to the extent they feel themselves around with them tentacly things.

A live lobster does survive for up to 48 hours out of the water. Some of you should look into how crayfish imported from the USA are decimating some of our natural fresh water varieties.

Lobsters bear no malice upon their executioners, they will not fight their way out of the hold/overhead luggage and engage in a full out claws snapping fight in the aisles.

Lobsters only really taste good when shoved alive in the pot and thereafter smothered in a nice buttery sauce, made to your own taste.

Next someone will no doubt claim I am a heathen for enjoying the live oysters when in Maine.

Candoo

[TightSlot]

Well, I wasn't planning to move it - in fact I'm developing quite a fondness for it! It enlivens the day to day routine of moderating moans and grumbles as I wonder where it will go next.

Everyone is making intellgent points politely, so let's keep it going and see where we go... I for one, never suspected PAXboy could get so passionate about crustaceans, but his point as always is well made and considered, so more power to him.

Over to you...

:)

[candoo]

Fair play Tightslot, good to hear.

Agree Paxboy's comments are well made.

However the thrust of my OP remains unanswered, have tried to contact BA about their regulations, alas no response.

If I were a farmer I could import all sorts of livelystock, ergo Ostriches, emus, Bison or whatever took my fancy - purely for the slaughter or enrichment of current stock.

My small mind, probably equivalent to a lobsters, does not equate cold blooded crustaceans feelings equible to mammalian requirements.

One shall enquire if I can reserve a seat for my dinner, that way everyone is happy!

[Bangkokeasy]

All this talk of lobsters has driven me to arrange a repeat of the shipment I mentioned above for next week.

As I type, the little dears are being selected, going through a rigorous regime of testing and measurement in a small enclave tucked away in a Norwegian Fjord. The fittest and plumpest 20 will be boiled on this coming Sunday morning, cooled in fresh Norwegian air and packed, before transport to the airport. As described, they will be first wrapped in paper, to avoid leakeage, then carried as checked luggage in ordinary suitcases. At the other end, a chauffeur driven limousine (more for the speed and efficient aircon than for crustacean comfort) will meet them at Suvarnabhumi airport and, all going well, we will have a lobster party in Bangkok on Monday night. I'll let you know how it goes. :ok:

[Miraz]

still think you should ship them live - best served straight from the grill or the pot onto the plate....refridgerating them in between destroys so much of the flavour and texture.

[garthicus]

^^ Correct, thus transporting them live in your hand luggage.

And another point, Emirates allow live Falcons in the cabin. So I think a lobster with it's claws elasticated shut, in a box, in the overhead bin poses far less a threat than a bird of prey!!

[Bangkokeasy]

Monday night was lobster night here.

Sixteen of the most gorgeously plump and tender critters made the grade in the fishing town of Egersund and were duly boiled in true Norwegian tradition on Sunday morning, before being cooled and packed. Packing consisted of wrapping in newspaper, then laying in polystyrene boxes, together with a couple of those plastic water-filled freezer slabs to keep them cool and then inside standard suitcases. Then off to Stavanger airport for the trip, via CPH.

They arrived on SK973 on Monday afternoon, where Suvarnabhumi's finest customs officers customarily ignored the suitcases and they were whisked downtown.

All arrived in delicious condition. :}

[UL730]

Some years ago had a marvellous trip to Islay – an island off the west coast of Scotland. Took the family up in my trusty Aztruck and stayed at Port Askaig Hotel right next door to a rather special distillery called Caol Ila. (the finest of the magnificent seven)

Fisherman were landing fresh lobster every day and we purchased a fine specimen from the Sound of Islay (Caol Ila) It was a good size - about 3kg and although a mere midget compared with 20kg monsters found in North Atlantic – it was enough to create a sense of apprehension when I announced we would be taking it back – alive to Teesside. It was captured at about 150’ and as any diver will tell you – the pressure at 30 metres is for the specially trained (PADI Advanced Open Water or higher). We planned for FL90 on the return trip and I was concerned about the pressure differentials.

Would the beast survive?

Pas de problème! The cephalothorax remained intact and the creature took the whole journey in its stride.

Much discussion on arrival home about what parts could be eaten and how the coup de grace should be inflicted. The green bits looked most unappetising but a local expert advised that this was the part the connoisseurs enjoyed most.

Yer lobby is a tough critter, a good feast and resilient traveller.

[TightSlot]

The Lobster thread lives again!

:{ :{ :{ :{ :{ :{ :{

[PAXboy]

UL730 ...and the creature took the whole journey in its stride. And what means did you employ to ensure that the hapless creature took the journey in it's shackled stride? Perhaps there was a customer comfort survey being taken?

Please, let this drop.
(TS, you and me both)

[Bangkokeasy]

Visiting the Seafood Market here in Bangers the other day, I couldn't help but notice a sign over a large, ice-filled tray that said, "Maine Lobsters". I picked one up to inspect it and, lo and behold, the little sod had a go at me. From that, I can only assume that the journey couldn't have been so arduous as to have sapped all it's energy - and from Maine to here is just about as far as you can go round this planet, without starting to come back again.

[TightSlot]

I think this thread has run its' useful course, so let's put it to bed now