Ship's Lobster Pound Limited

What Ship's Lobster Pound Limited does

Ship's Lobster Pound Limited (legally Ship's Lobster Pound 2005 LTD) is a family-owned Canadian seafood trading and processing company headquartered at 6649 Highway 3, Lower Woods Harbour, Nova Scotia. Founded in 1988 by three brothers (Kirk, Gregory, and Joel Nickerson), the company purchases live cold water hard shell lobsters directly from specialty fishing vessels operating in Atlantic fishing districts 33 and 34. The company also operates an outdoor tidal pound in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, adding a traditional holding method alongside its indoor facilities.

The company's core physical infrastructure is an 800,000-lb cold water lobster storage facility maintained at 2°C using refrigeration and filtration technology, complemented by manual grading and inspection by trained staff and custom packing services offering containers from 5 kg to 45 kg. A documented ocean-to-plate traceability system tracks each lobster from harvest to delivery. Distribution is vertically integrated through the company's own customs bonded reefer transport trucking fleet, enabling shipping from five airports (Halifax, Toronto, Montreal, Moncton, Boston) to international B2B customers across Europe, Asia, and the United States. Approved EU exporter status provides access to European markets.

The business model is direct B2B seafood trading: lobsters are bought straight from fishing boats, held in the facility for year-round availability, graded, packed, and sold at quote-based pricing to international food distribution companies and food-service buyers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by quantity, size grade, and market conditions. The company employs 7 people, all key roles held by the founding Nickerson family (President, Facility Manager, Sales Manager, Office Manager). Revenue is undisclosed; based on throughput and pricing benchmarks, the company most likely operates in the single-digit-to-low-double-digit million USD revenue range. There is no external investor, private equity, or venture capital involvement, and no M&A, funding rounds, or restructuring events beyond a 2005 reincorporation.

Name

Ship's Lobster Pound Limited

Legal name

Ship's Lobster Pound 2005 LTD

Website

https://shipslobster.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ship's Lobster Pound Limited is a family-owned Nova Scotia seafood company, founded in 1988, that sources live cold water hard shell Canadian lobsters directly from Atlantic fishing vessels, stores them in an 800,000-lb refrigerated facility, and exports them B2B to distributors across Europe, Asia, and the United States via its own reefer transport fleet.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seafood Distribution

NAICS

Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (42446), Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (424460)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Seafood & Tank-Based Distribution Wholesale (AFAIADAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Shellfish Wholesale (Crustaceans & Mollusks) (AFAIADAF)

Keywords

• Live lobster export
• Cold water lobster
• Seafood distribution
• Lobster cold storage
• International seafood shipping

Headquarters

HQ city

Lower Woods Harbour

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Lobster Sales: Primary revenue stream from buying and selling lobsters. Products are sourced from fishing boats in fishing districts 33 and 34, stored at the facility, and sold to international customers in Europe, Asia, and the United States.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Ship's Lobster Pound buys live cold water hard shell Canadian lobsters directly from fishing boats in fishing districts 33 and 34, then grades, stores, packs, and ships them internationally to food distribution customers in Europe, Asia, and the United States. The 800,000 lb cold storage facility at 2°C and the company's own customs bonded reefer transport fleet enable year-round supply with full ocean-to-plate traceability.

Product overview

Ship's Lobster Pound Limited is a family-owned lobster trading and processing company operating since 1988. The company operates as a single unified offering centered on premium Canadian lobster products and related services, including sourcing directly from fishing boats, cold water storage (800,000 lb capacity), quality grading, custom packing (5-45 kg containers), and international shipping to Europe, Asia, and the United States via their customs bonded reefer transport fleet.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Cold Water Hard Shell Canadian Lobster

Quantifiable outcome

• Year-round supply capability through 800,000 lbs storage capacity
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Fishing Districts 33 and 34coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with fishing districts 33 and 34, engaging specialty fishing vessels equipped with state-of-the-art technology to harvest the finest hard shelled Canadian lobsters. Lobsters are purchased straight from fishing boats as they come in with their catch.
• European UnioncoreOthersApproved exporter to the European Union, adhering to the highest standards of safety and security regulations. This certification enables market access to EU customers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ocean Choice International: Atlantic Canadian seafood harvester and processor marketing lobster and other shellfish globally. Comparable in geography (Atlantic Canada), product mix (shellfish including lobster), and B2B export model serving international markets.
• Maritime Lobster Limited: Atlantic Canada-based lobster supplier exporting live and processed product internationally. Overlaps in sourcing region, product type, and export-oriented business model.
• Fisherman's Market International: Nova Scotia-headquartered seafood company specializing in lobster and other Atlantic Canadian species. Comparable as a regional lobster exporter with similar direct-from-boat sourcing and international B2B distribution.
• True North Seafood: Atlantic Canadian shellfish processor and exporter with established global customer base. Comparable as a vertically integrated Canadian lobster exporter serving similar international markets.
• Premium Seafoods Ltd. Atlantic Canada-based lobster exporter purchasing directly from fishing boats and serving European, Asian, and US markets. Closely mirrors Ship's Lobster Pound's sourcing model, customer geography, and live-lobster export focus.
• Atlantic Lobster Company: Canadian live lobster exporter with focus on whole live lobster shipments to Asian and European markets. Directly competes in live lobster distribution, sharing similar customer geography and product profile.
• Live Lobster Company (Cape Cod): US-based live lobster distributor serving retail and wholesale markets. Comparable as a live-lobster-focused distributor, though primarily serves domestic US markets.

Broad incumbents

• Cooke Aquaculture: Large diversified seafood company with significant Atlantic Canadian operations including lobster and other shellfish. Broader species portfolio and scale, but competes in Canadian shellfish distribution.
• Thai Union Group: Global seafood conglomerate with broad shellfish product lines. Adjacent rather than direct competitor, but represents the type of large, capitalized seafood buyer that Ship's Lobster Pound supplies in Asian markets.
• Clearwater Seafoods: One of Canada's largest vertically integrated seafood companies harvesting and distributing shellfish including lobster. Directly comparable as a Canadian seafood wholesaler/exporter, but operates at significantly larger scale with broader species portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ship-s-lobster-pound

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ship's Lobster Pound Limited