An In-Depth Look at the Lobster Debate
Trevor Corson, whose book The Secret Life of Lobsters will make you wonder why readers fawned over David Foster Wallace’s poorly researched “Consider the Lobster,” has an article in Boston magazine about Whole Foods’ decision to stop carrying lobster (he wrote it before the final decision, but he correctly predicted the final outcome). The blogosphere has been abuzz with responses to the Whole Foods announcement, but Corson actually knows what he’s talking about, and it’s always worth seeing his take on all things crustacean.
He finds the Whole Foods decision ironic. Lobster is one of the last free-range foods and lobster trappers have created a sustainable fishing industry, two facets that should make lobster an ideal match for the ethos that Whole Foods pretends to follow. He also describes the CrustaStun, which lobster processors will use to deliver frozen lobster meat to the high-end chain. The device crushes lobsters alive over the course of 30-40 seconds. Animal welfare groups have given the machine a stamp of approval, but only relative to boiling the crustaceans alive. Slice the lobsters in half before cooking for an even faster death.
