The lucky winner of a one-week, all-inclusive trip for two to the Îles de la Madeleine is Mrs. Sylvie Contant from Laval, QC.

There is a new Vacation Contest that started today.  Come to the Islands on us!

The Magdalen Islands Tourist Association is inviting everyone to enter their contest “Lobster in my Luggage”. The prize is valued at $1,900 and is one of a kind.  There are beaches, exoticism, culture, seafood, adventure, a complete change of scenery to enjoy and all this for your next vacation.

Grosse Ile Harbour April 30, 2010

Until July fourth, the registration will be open for the “Lobster in my Luggage” contest and most people will be eligible to win a trip for two to the Magdalen Islands. This trip includes

- Return transportation between Souris, on Prince Edward Island and the Magdalen Islands aboard the Groupe CTMA ferry, the M.V. Madeleine.

- Six nights at the Auberge La Salicorne, (Club Vacances), Grand Entry, breakfasts and suppers provided.

- A gift certificate good for 100 pounds of seafood products at Cap sur Mer/ to pack in the luggage for the trip home.

- An ESSO Gift Card for gasoline worth $100.

- A guided visit at the Musée de la Mer.

The stay may be taken between June 1^st and July 20^th during the 2010 and 2011 tourist seasons.

Who Knows, You Might Be The Lucky Person They Will Be Pampering!

There will be a mandatory question (easy for everyone) but there is no purchase required to enter. The participant must be eighteen years and older by July 4, 2010, and a Canadian resident.  Employees of Tourisme Iles de la Madeleine and the partners associated with this contest, members of their immediate families and any persons living in their home are not eligible to compete in this contest.

To enter the contest, it will be necessary to fill out the form at the Tourist website at:

http://www.tourismeilesdelamadeleine.com/magdalen-islands/demandeDAbonnementConcours_ang.cfm

On the electronic entry for, fill in your name, age, address, telephone number and the contest question, “How many lobster fishing licenses are issued for the Îles de la Madeleine region ?” (answer = 326 lobster fishing permits). Also check (√) the box that gives Tourisme Iles de la Madeleine permission to publish a photo of the winners. Only one entry per person for the family residing at the same e-mail address will be accepted.

All internet entries must be received no later that 11:59pm (Atlantic Daylight Time) on July 4^th, 2010.

For More information on the Contest Rules, see

http://www.tourismeilesdelamadeleine.com/pdf/ReglementsConcours-Homards_ang.pdf

Note:

Tourisme Îles de la Madeleine offers five (5) more chances to the people who are fans of Tourisme

Îles de la Madeleine on Facebook. In case the winner would come from an additional chance given by

the inscription on Facebook, Tourisme Îles de la Madeleine will ensure that it is indeed a fan of

Tourisme Îles de la Madeleine on Facebook.

Update Notes:

On May 29, 2010 the prices were about $3.00CDN or USD. That is quite a bit less than the price of MapleLeaf Balonie!!!

On June 4, 2010, the lobster prises are on the rise. Price per pound is around $3.50CDN and rising. It is time to get your lobster because with Saint Jean le Baptiste Day (Quebec’s holiday) and Canada Day, the prices are expected to rise even more.

Gulf of Saint Lawrence

The pristine, cool Gulf waters are home to a large varied of fish and vegetation species, many of which the lobster feed on. Because of the cleanliness of the Gulf, lobster has the best food available, which makes for the tastiest meat. Magdalen Islands lobster is known for being the world’s tastiest lobster.

A Magdalen Islands Gastronomy Adventure

Most of the restaurants in the area serve lobster and seafood dishes which are so delicious. A lobster roll, for example, is a bun filled with the most scrumptious lobster salad, anyone has ever tasted. A seafood platter is a combination of a variety of different shellfish or even ground fish with a choice of potatoes or rice and a beverage of choice. Crepes aux homards, seafood pizza, seafood chowder are a few of the exotic recipes the islands chefs are known to create.

From the mainland, lobster connoisseurs can order their lobster fresh and alive from the fish factories which dot the islands landscape. One of the more popular lobster pounds is Cape Dauphin Fishermen’s Co-operative, on the north side of the islands, in Grosse Ile. All of the lobster that enters the pound is held for a reasonable amount of time to clean the intestinal tract, before they are sold live to buyers who come with large 18-wheelers trucks generally.

Grosse Ile Fishermen's COOP - 418-985-2321

They keep the lobster is plastic crates in salt-water pools, usually 100 pounds each. The lobster are kept sprayed and fresh. Workers, generally the women, gently cull or look the lobster over, to find weakened lobster, which are returned to the sea or they are sold to a local home buyer for quick processing. In the evening the large trucks pull up and workers, generally the men, load the prepared crates into the refrigerated truck boxes, stacking them carefully so that they transport well to their destination.

It is also possible for individuals to buy live lobster from local companies who purchase lobster, containers, the necessary packing supplies and ship them by plane to the door of the waiting customer. Depending on the supplier, the shell cracking tools and meat hooks could be available as well as amounts of precooked seafood chowder, fresh picked clams, mussels, or quahogs. It is even possible to have the stock pot, sea salt and/or filtered Gulf sea water shipped too.

Other factories about the islands cook the lobster before marketing it. Factory workers shell and prepare the meat for processing. They freeze the lobster whole in what they call popsicles, or they can it and freeze the cans before shipping large quantities out on the trucks. Either way, the lobster from the Iles de la Madeleine is the absolute best there is.

Lobster…, yummmmmmm! The tastiest treat to come from the sea is available from the best waters for raising the crustaceans, the Magdalen Island shoals, in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Canada.

For anyone interested in knowing more about how to purchase Magdalen Island live or cooked lobster, during the fishing season, email at ilesdelamadeleine@canada.com or go to our Squidoo Page, Mail Order Lobster at http://www.squidoo.com/islandslobster

Quote:

“Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant?? I’m halfway through my fish burger and I realize, Oh my God….I could be eating a slow learner.” Lynda Montgomery