In the past, it was only found along the Pacific coast in small numbers, and was quite rare. More recently, however, live or frozen lobsters of the same variety have been imported in large quantities for the Japanese market, triggering growth in demand. Because it is caught wild from the sea, the catch often varies greatly from year to year. For the same reason, the quantity of imports, too, varies greatly every year. Live, fresh or cold-stored 1.
Preferred colors are pink, dark pink and red.
Blue or green ones are disliked. New Zealand has an annual catch of approx. Indonesia and Thailand have only a small catch. Because they employ a diving catch method, Vietnam too has a very small output. With regard to imports, due care must be taken with their freshness and size.