New Zealand live lobster sales surge as Chinese gourmets return

New Zealand exports of live lobster are surging as Chinese gourmets return to restaurants.

More than 300 tons of the crustaceans were airfreighted to China in May, up 53% on the same month last year, according to data released Wednesday by Auckland International Airport. That’s welcome relief for New Zealand lobster exporters, who were forced to release thousands of the shellfish back into the sea in February after China closed restaurants and canceled orders in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

“Up to 90% of New Zealand’s lobster exports are sent to overseas markets as air cargo,” said Scott Tasker, General Manager Aeronautical Commercial at Auckland Airport. “Most of that is now heading to China, a market that appreciates fresh, high-quality ingredients particularly in the high-end restaurant and hospitality trade.”

New Zealand is hoping that Chinese demand for its food will help it recover from recession as the closed border hobbles the tourism industry, once its biggest foreign-exchange earner. China is New Zealand’s biggest export market, taking 28% of all goods sold offshore in the year through May.

The airport company said lobster shipments plummeted 84% in February on China’s lockdown, and remained depressed in March and April. The addition of more cargo capacity into China and the reopening of the nation’s hospitality industry in time for the May 1 Labor Day holiday gave the industry a much-needed boost, Tasker said.