Sunday, 6/12… final update.
FedEx delivered the lobsters to my friend’s office and the box was never opened up by customs.
My friends steamed the lobsters, one at a time.(since his pot was not big enough to fit two
4-pound lobsters together)
Can I FedEx two Maine lobster from Boston to Taipei?
I frequently use FedEx for large packages/documents and
they always arrive within 50 to 55 hours after being off
at FedEx in the US.
According to the lobster guy I spoke to, 50 or even 60 hours
in a ice-pak-chilled foam container is fine for the lobsters.
The lobster in question is a 4-pounder and I’m hoping to
ship two to my buddy in Taipei.
FedEx customer service rep said it was okay, but I’d be
responsible for complying with customs/duty requirements.
(obviously)
However, will the Taiwanese customs official confiscate them?
If so, would it be easier if I hand carried them when I fly to
Taipei next time?
They have Atlantic lobsters, which is what Maine lobsters are. I haven’t seen very many 4-pounders though – most customers prefer the sweeter and more tender smaller ones. And your friend will have a bit of trouble finding a stove-top large enough to take pan that’ll fit a 4-pound lobster.
I assume Maine lobsters are wild animals, in which case importing them requires a permit:
[quote]FORBIDDEN ARTICLES
Articles listed below shall not be imported:
Heroin, morphine, opium, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine, etc. prescribed in the “Act for the Control of Narcotics” and their derivatives and products.
Arms (including shotguns, fishing guns, air guns, etc.), ammunition (including bomb, cartridges and explosives), assault knives and other weapons of war prescribed in the “Act Governing the Control of Guns, Ammunition and Knives”.
[color=red]Any wild animals and endangered species of wildlife or products thereof are not allowed to be imported, unless a permit is obtained from the Council of Agriculture in advance.[/color]
Articles infringing upon the rights of patents, trademarks and copyrights.
Fake or spurious currencies or securities, or moulds for printing counterfeit currency.
All restricted substances and drugs of non-prescription and non-medicinal nature (including marijuana).
First, I get lobsters that are fresh off the lobster boats. Saw it with my own eyes because
the lobsterman is my co-worker’s father-in-law. He lets me have them at less than 1/3(or 1/4)
the market price. Each big 4-pounder(somewhat rare) cost me only $10 in US dollars.
Second, my company allows me to use the corporate FedEx acct for personal shipments.
(but limited to $100 per month, after that, FedEx give us a 40% discount) So I can essentially
ship the lobsters to Taiwan for free.
Last, but not least… it would mean a lot more to my buddy in Taiwan to receive lobsters that
I personally picked up from the pier and shipped.
Back to the lobsters. I picked up two of them this morning. Went two doors down to the
seafood packer, just off the pier. They are now sitting comfortably in a big, sturdy foam
box… The FedEx guy usually comes around 3pm to pick up stuff here…
Even if the Taiwanese customs decide to confiscate them, I’m only out 27 dollars…
($10 four-pound lobster x 2 = $20, plus $7 packing fee for the seafood packing guy)
Hell yeah! Atlantic lobsters are much better than the Pacific ones. But the thing is, they’re easily available here – I checked in my local RTMart last night and they had about a dozen live ones and yes, the two biggest were easily bigger than 4 pounds.
If it was fresh herring, haddock or monkfish, now – THAT I would pay a premium for.
Hell yeah! Atlantic lobsters are much better than the Pacific ones. But the thing is, they’re easily available here – I checked in my local RTMart last night and they had about a dozen live ones and yes, the two biggest were easily bigger than 4 pounds.
If it was fresh herring, haddock or monkfish, now – THAT I would pay a premium for.[/quote]
If I was living in Alaska and surrounded by ice and snow, you can be damned sure I would not eat any of it…I only eat snow from the polar regions.
I think maybe they raise 'em up to a certain stage and release them into the wild. A google search on Maine lobsters sure turns up a lot of stuff on lobster aquaculture, at least.
