Chinese buyers snapped up more than 140,000 live Canadian lobsters within 24 hours last week through a Beijing-based online retailer, and the demand can only grow, says a New Brunswick supplier.

The live lobsters came from a variety of sources for the sale July 14 on jd.com, one of the largest e-commerce websites in the world.

They believe if they are alive and are of good quality, they are from Canada. - Nathan Song, Bay Shore Lobster

According to a news release from the company, the surge in lobster purchases was part of a sale promoting fresh food from Canada, which also included cherries and blueberries among the offerings.

"They want 10,000 pounds a day," said Nathan Song, director of the New Brunswick-based Bay Shore Lobster Ltd., one of the suppliers forthe website. "The first stage of the promotion is five days a week, so that's around 50,000 pounds from just us."

Song, who was born in China, said the country has recently emerged as a lucrative market for lobster. Restaurant owners and home chefs alike hold Canadian lobster in high regard, so much so, they are willing to pay a heavy premium on shipping, he said.

"The people in China like the live ones," Song said. "They believe if they are alive and are of good quality, they are from Canada. So people will pay more money than for other countries' [lobsters]."

Normally, Bay Shore catches enough lobster to have a year-round supply, but with the Chinese demand, the company in Back Bay could sell out by October, Song said.

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