It wasn't just the Oyster Room we lost in the fire but our water treatment plant which meant that our indoor lobster tanks and crab tanks were both without a water supply. We were lucky that the outdoor lobster tanks have a different water supply, so we were able to store the lobsters there after the fire, but it halved our lobster holding capacity.
Fortunately, one of our previous Wholesale customers had changed from selling lobsters to manufacturing lobster tanks. We had seen these tanks in action before and recommended them to our wholesale and restaurant customers who needed to store large quantities of live lobsters. Only a week after the fire, Dave arrived at the Fishery with the first of the 13 temporary tanks for the lobsters and crabs. We reconfigured the Lobster packing room to create room for the new tanks and installed all new electrics and plumbing to bypass the broken systems. The temporary tanks have individual water treatment units and a chiller to keep the water cool and the lobsters happy.
The tanks are great, and we can change the water temperature, salinity and PH levels to suit either native lobsters, Canadian lobsters or crabs to best replicate their home waters. We are lucky being right next to the water so we can start with seawater rather than tap water that has been treated, which makes managing the tanks a lot easier. You would think that seawater was much the same anywhere in the world but the salinity does differ, with our water being more brackish (less salty) we can add salt to the tanks to increase the salinity to suit the lobster.
The new lobster systems are a temporary fix until we have our water treatment plant rebuilt and install new permanent lobster tanks. It's an exciting time at the Fishery, and we are lucky to have such good friends and customers who rallied around us in the aftermath of the fire.
Fortunately, one of our previous Wholesale customers had changed from selling lobsters to manufacturing lobster tanks. We had seen these tanks in action before and recommended them to our wholesale and restaurant customers who needed to store large quantities of live lobsters. Only a week after the fire, Dave arrived at the Fishery with the first of the 13 temporary tanks for the lobsters and crabs. We reconfigured the Lobster packing room to create room for the new tanks and installed all new electrics and plumbing to bypass the broken systems. The temporary tanks have individual water treatment units and a chiller to keep the water cool and the lobsters happy.
The tanks are great, and we can change the water temperature, salinity and PH levels to suit either native lobsters, Canadian lobsters or crabs to best replicate their home waters. We are lucky being right next to the water so we can start with seawater rather than tap water that has been treated, which makes managing the tanks a lot easier. You would think that seawater was much the same anywhere in the world but the salinity does differ, with our water being more brackish (less salty) we can add salt to the tanks to increase the salinity to suit the lobster.
The new lobster systems are a temporary fix until we have our water treatment plant rebuilt and install new permanent lobster tanks. It's an exciting time at the Fishery, and we are lucky to have such good friends and customers who rallied around us in the aftermath of the fire.