Record catches aren’t necessarily great for lobstermen.

对捕虾人而言，近来的销售业绩不算太好。

In 2012, Maine caught 126 million pounds of lobsters², which at the time was off the charts. Prices promptly³ plunged⁴.

在2012年，美国缅因州的渔夫们捕获了1亿2600万吨龙虾，这在当时是破纪录的成绩，然而龙虾的价格却遭遇了剧烈下滑。

The luxury crustacean⁵ that typically retails⁷ for around $18 a pound was suddenly “cheaper than deli meats.”

这些零售价一般为18美元一磅的奢美大虾一夜之间成了廉价的滞销货，价格“比熟肉还便宜”。

So desperate were lobstermen to offload their supply that lobster¹ were selling for as little as $1.25 a pound—even though the break-even point is roughly $4 per pound.

捕龙虾的人实在太绝望了，为了清空存货，他们把龙虾贱卖到1.25美元/磅，然而盈利底线却是4美元/磅。

Last year, Maine lobstermen landed around the same volume they had during the catastrophic glut⁸ of 2012.

去年，缅因州的渔夫们又获得了大丰收，产量与2012年惨淡的滞销时节相当。

This time, however, prices per pound were comfortably above the break-even mark.

不过，今年每磅龙虾的价格却令人十分欣慰，渔夫们可以收支平衡啦。

So how can Maine’s docks be crawling with lobsters without dragging down prices? It’s (mostly) thanks to China.

不靠拉低价格，缅因州是如何让大批大批的龙虾登上码头，游向四海八荒的吃客的呢？这（大部分）归功于中国！

Back in 2010, China accounted for about 1% of US exports of American lobsters, by value.

在2010年，中国进口美国龙虾的份额还只占到美国出口量总值的1%。

By last year, that figure had leapt to 15%.

然而到去年为止，这个比值已经猛增到了15%。

China is now the US’s second-biggest American destination for lobster exports, after Canada.

如今，中国已经是美国龙虾出口的第二大输出国，输出份额仅次于加拿大。

However, the 2012 price crash had one big upside.

2012年龙虾价格的跳水却让渔夫们因祸得福了。

In the rush to unload soft-shell lobsters before they spoiled, lobstermen and dealers⁹ began shipping¹⁰ them live to China.

为了将这些软壳龙虾在变质之前销出去，渔夫和经销商开始把活龙虾运往中国。

Once the new trade channels had been established, live lobster shipments to China continued to climb, nearly tripling in value last year.

这条新的贸易线一经拓定，销往中国的活龙虾的数量就一路攀升，到去年产值几乎增长了两倍。

As demand has picked up, a slew¹¹ of vendors¹² have taken to selling Maine lobsters via online platforms, such as Tmall, Alibaba’s Amazon-like retail⁶ site.

随着龙虾需求量的增加，许多供应商开始关注网上平台，在类似亚马逊网的天猫和淘宝上销售缅因州龙虾。

Tellingly, they’re selling them under the moniker “Maine big lobster,” not Boston. Chinese consumers may be half a world away, but now they know where the good stuff comes from—and how to get it.

他们还给自己的产品取了一个响亮的名字，不是“波士顿龙虾”，而是“缅因州龙虾”。中国的消费者们远在半个地球之外，不过现在他们已经知道这些美味的龙虾从何而来了——也知道去哪儿买到它们。