Lobster letdown

Deirdre Newman

A full moon and clear water are perfect for a romantic stroll on the

beach, but they didn’t bode well for the start of lobster season

Wednesday.

“It was OK, not a great opener,” said Bi Pearson, the original owner

of Pearson’s Port in Newport Beach.

For the past few days, lobster fishermen have been laying and baiting

traps in anticipation of hauling in the first catches of the season.

But their pessimism about the prospects played out because the

illumination from the full moon tends to discourage the crustaceans from

leaving the familiar surroundings of their caves.

Buyers of the California Spiny Lobster, however, have higher hopes for

the season in general because the Asian markets are not as strong as in

the past.

“There’s not as much foreign pressure on the market,” said Jim

Ulcickas, one of the owners of Bluewater Grill. “It used to be everything

would go over to Japan, so that allows us to enjoy some of it here.”

Ulcickas said he was eager to start serving the fresh lobster to his

customers who have been waiting for it all year.

“We boil it a little bit, then we cut it in half and put it on the

flat grill and put butter and garlic on it,” Ulcickas said.

And with that said, bon appetit.

* Deirdre Newman covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at o7 deirdre.newman@latimes.comf7 .