SEAN SIMPSON FORGOT HIS LOADED
GUN AT THE DEERFIELD BEACH
PIER.
ANOTHER MAN IS ACCUSED OF
PICKING UP THE GUN AND FIRING
OFF A SHOT.
BOTH MEN WERE ARRESTED.
WE HAVE TRIED TO SPEAK WITH
SIMPSON BUT SO FAR HAVE NOT
BEEN ABLE TO CONTACT HIM.
AND NOW A CBS 4 NEWS
EXCLUSIVE REPORT.
THE BUSINESS OF LOBSTER.
WE ALL KNOW SOUTH FLORIDA HAS
AN ABUNDANCE OF SEAFOOD, STONE
CRAB, GROUPER, EVEN LIONFISH
IS PROVING TO BE A NEW
DELICACY.
PERHAPS THE MOST LOVED
SPECIES -- MOST BELOVED SEAFOOD
OF ALL IS SPINY LOBSTER BUT
CHANCES ARE IT DIDN'T COME FROM
THE WATERS AROUND FLORIDA.
BECAUSE A MAJORITY OF
FLORIDA LOBSTER IS NOT JUST
SENT OUT, BUT OUT OF THE
COUNTRY AS WELL.
JIM DEFEDE HE JOINS US WITH A
PREVIEW OF HIS SPECIAL REPORT.
Reporter: WE SPENT MONTHS
EXPLORING THE BILLS OF LOBSTER
BUT IN ORDER TO APPRECIATE
WHAT'S HAPPENING YOU NEED TO
TRAVEL THOUSANDS OF MILES FROM
THE FLORIDA KEYS TO A COUNTRY
REDEFINING THE LOBSTER HARVEST.
WE BEGIN IN CHINA.
Reporter: IN AN UPSCALE
PORTION OF HONG KONG, THE BOAT
DWELLERS STEAM HOT POT
SPECIALIST RESTAURANT IS
RENOWNED FOR ITS LIVE SEAFOOD.
THEY SHOWCASE THE FRESHEST
OFFERINGS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
BUT FEW ITEMS ON THE MENU ARE
LIKELY TO CAPTURE A DINER'S
ATTENTION OR HAVE THE APPEAL OF
THE FLORIDA SPINY LOBSTER.
FOR THE LOBSTER, THIS WAS THE
COMBINATION OF A 9000 MILE
JOURNEY.
A JORDY HAD -- A JOURNEY THAT
IN RECENT YEARS HAS TRANSFORMED
THE COMMERCIAL FISHING INDUSTRY
AND LEFT RESTAURANTS FROM KEY
WEST TO MIAMI STRUGGLING TO
KEEP LOBSTER ON THEIR MENUS.
THE LOBSTER IN HONG KONG WAS
RIGHT HERE.
IN THE WATERS OFF THE FLORIDA
KEYS.
WE SET TRAPS AFTER THE
HURRICANE.
Reporter: GARY NICHOLS
OPERATES A PAIR OF LOBSTER
BOATS JUST OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE
TALK.
THE PRICE OF LOBSTER RIGHT
NOW IS WAY UP THERE.
Reporter: THANKS TO THE
CHINESE, THESE ARE GOOD DAYS TO
BE A LOBSTER FISHERMAN IN
FLORIDA.
PRICES RANGE ANYWHERE FROM $10-
$24 A POUND BUT THAT WASN'T
ALWAYS THE PLACE.
I FIRST MET NICHOLS IN 2009
BEFORE THE CHINESE CAME INTO
THE MARKET.
AT THE TIME, PRICES FOR LOBSTER
HAD PLUMMETED TO 3 DOLLARS A
POUND AND NICHOLS WAS
STRUGGLING TO KEEP HIS BOATS IN
THE WATER.
IT'S JUST BEEN INSANITY.
Reporter: DESPERATE TO STAY
AFLOAT, NICHOLS SAID HE GOT THE
IDEA OF CONTACTING CHINESE
BUYERS AFTER SEEING AN ARTICLE
IN A TRADE MAGAZINE.
I A CHINESE PERSON, -- I A
CHINESE PERSON BUYING TURTLES
AND HORSESHOE CRABS AND WAS -- I
SAW A CHINESE PERSON BUYING
TURTLES AND HORSESHOE CRABS AND
HE WAS SENDING THEM BACK TO
CHINA.
THIS IS THE BIGGEST LOBSTER
BUYER IN THE UNITED STATES.
Reporter: BORN IN CHINA, HE
OPERATES A SEAFOOD SHIPPING
BUSINESS IN NEW YORK AS A U.S.
CITIZEN CALLED ELITE SKY
INTERNATIONAL.
CHIN LEE NOW PURCHASES LOBSTER
FROM BOAT OPERATORS FROM KEY
NORTH TO, KEY WEST.
WHEN WILL THAT LOBSTER BE IN
CHINA?
IN 2 DAYS.
Reporter: COMPETITORS SOON
FOLLOWED.
THERE ARE AT LEAST THREE OTHER
COMPANIES BUYING AS MUCH
FLORIDA LOBSTER AS THEY CAN GET
THEIR HANDS ON AND SHIPPING
THEM OFF TO CHINA.
THE NUMBERS ARE STAGGERING.
STARTING IN 2000, JUST 32,000
POUNDS OF FLORIDA LOBSTER WAS
SHIPPED TO CHINA WITH EXPORTS
REMAINING FLAT UNTIL 2010.
WHEN THE CHINESE MARKET FOR
FLORIDA LOBSTER EXPLODED.
BY 2013, NEARLY 4 MILLION
POUNDS OF LOBSTER WAS BEING
SENT FROM FLORIDA TO CHINA.
IN TERMS OF DOLLARS, FLORIDA
LOBSTER EXPORTS IN RECENT YEARS
HAVE RANGED FROM $50-$75
MILLION A YEAR.
AND AFTER YEARS OF STRUGGLING
TO SURVIVE, FLORIDA'S LOBSTER
FISHERMAN FELT SECURE.
THANK GOD FOR THE CHINESE.
IF IT WASN'T FOR THE CHINESE
RIGHT NOW, I WOULD BE GETTING
ABOUT THREE DOLLARS OR FOUR
DOLLARS A POUND INSTEAD OF $12,
13 -- $13 A POUND.
Reporter: BUT NOT EVERYONE
IS CELEBRATING THE NEW GLOBAL
REALITIES.
THE WORD SPREAD LIKE
WILDFIRE AND OUR BUDGET CAME
DOWN, AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT,
THEY WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE
OFFERING ASTRONOMICAL PRICES TO
THE FISHERMEN.
Reporter: MANUEL BARREGAS IS
OPERATING THE BUSINESS HIS
FATHER STARTED IN THE 70s.
I CAN'T JUST GO TO A MARKET
AND BY A FLORIDA LOBSTER.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOOD.
Reporter: IN ORDER TO
REPLACE THE LOBSTER BEING SENT
TO CHINA, MANY RESTAURANTS HAVE
TO BUY FROZEN LOBSTER TAILS
FROM COUNTRIES LIKE NICARAGUA,
HONDURAS AND THE BAHAMAS.
AND EVEN WHEN FLORIDA LOBSTER
IS AVAILABLE, THE CHINESE HAVE
DRIVEN UP THE PRICE TO THE
POINT THAT MANY LOCAL
RESTAURANTS ARE STILL BUYING
IMPORTED, FROZEN LOBSTER.
A LOT OF THOSE RESTAURANTS,
YOU'VE GOT TOURISTS AND THEY
CAN SELL THOSE TOURISTS ON THE
FACT THAT IT'S A FLORIDA
LOBSTER WHEN IT'S NOT.
IT IS THE SAME SPECIES OF
LOBSTER, SO IT LOOKS EXACTLY
THE SAME AS OUR LOBSTER.
HOMELY I KNOW AND YOU KNOW AND
YOUR VIEWERS TODAY KNOW THAT'S
NOT FLORIDA LOBSTER BECAUSE
THERE IS NO FLORIDA LOBSTER
BEING SOLD IN RESTAURANTS OR
SEAFOOD MARKET HERE IN FLORIDA.
ALL OF IT GOES TO CHINA.
Reporter: MANUEL BARREGAS IS
EXAGGERATING, BUT IT'S GROWING
MORE DIFFICULT.
FOR 2013 FOR INSTANCE -- FOR
INSTANCE, THREE OUT OF EVERY
FOUR LOBSTER SCOTT IN THE
FLORIDA KEYS WAS SHIPPED OUT OF
THE COUNTRY WITH THE
OVERWHELMING MAJORITY HEADED
STRAIGHT TO CHINA.
WHILE PATRONS OF THE BOAT
DWELLER RESTAURANT IN HONG KONG
WERE ENJOYING THEIR LOBSTER
MEAL, LUIS GARCIA HAD TO TAKE
FLORIDA LOBSTER OFF HIS
LUNCHTIME MENU AT GARCIA'S
RESTAURANT ON THE MIAMI RIVER.
IT HAS DISRUPTED OUR LOCAL
ECONOMY.
IT IS SUCH A FORCE THAT TODAY I
DON'T HAVE LOBSTER.
Reporter: TODAY, YOU DON'T
HAVE FLORIDA LOBSTER.
AS OF RIGHT NOW.
AS OF TODAY.
Reporter: GARCIA IS LUCKY.
IN ADDITION TO THE RESTAURANT,
HIS FAMILY HAS A SMALL FISHING
OPERATION WITH PERMITS TO CATCH
LOBSTER.
WITH TWO BOATS PULLING TRAPS AS
WE SPEAK, HE IS CONFIDENT THEY
WILL CATCH ENOUGH LOBSTER BY
THIS EVENING, THAT HE CAN PUT
FLORIDA LOBSTER BACK ON THE
MENU.
IT'S ABSURD HAVING TO TELL
SOMEBODY I DON'T HAVE LOBSTER.
I HAVE SOME FROZEN STUFF I
BOUGHT FROM NICARAGUA JUST IN
CASE THIS HAPPENS, BUT I FEEL
HORRIBLE HAVING TO OFFER THAT
TO THEM.
IS THAT RAISING THE PRICE OF
FLORIDA LOBSTER FOR US?
Reporter: IF YOU GO IN
RESTAURANTS FROM KEY WEST TO
MIAMI, EVEN THE PRICE FOR
LOBSTER THEY THEN IMPORT FROM
OTHER COUNTRIES HAS RAISED THE
PRICE AS WELL.
WHAT DOES THE REGULATION
LOOK LIKE ON THIS?
I KNOW IT'S A LONG ANSWER.
Reporter: NO, THEY CAN SHIP
TO CHINA.
THE REAL QUESTION IS WILL THE
TRADE WAR WITH CHINA HAVE AN
IMPACT.
BUT IT'S GREAT FOR THE LOBSTER
FISHERMAN, NOT GREAT FOR THE
CONSUMER.
ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
TUNE IN TOMORROW NIGHT FOR PART
THREE OF THIS EXCLUSIVE, THE