Arthur Milnes
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 20/99) - If you're a seafood lover living in Yellowknife, meet your new best-friend, Dale Johnston.

Last fall, the owner of Wolverine Sports began to have lobster and Dungeness crabs shipped to Yellowknife, meaning residents can now pick up a seafood luxury right here in the city.

"One guy from P.E.I. came in, saw the lobsters, and just said, 'I have to have one,'" Johnston says.

The lobsters are far from home, hailing from the seas off Nova Scotia, while the crabs are brought in from the B.C. coast.

Johnston says his store's new, specially-designed tanks, which house the delectable crustaceans, have become popular with visitors to the store, especially school children.

"The school kids come in just to look at them," Johnston says.

As if to prove his point, a group stops on the sidewalk outside Johnston's store while photographs are being taken of Wolverine's assistant manager Tracy Johnston holding a lobster. They appear fascinated by the lobster in question and watch until it is placed back in the tank.

Plans for bringing the delicacies to the NWT began last summer, Johnston says. He searched the Internet and received a lot of valuable information from the University of Maine's Lobster Institute.

In Yellowknife, Johnston will deliver the crabs or lobsters free within the city. He'll also pack them up and send them into the communities, though customers will have to pay the freight charges. People in Cambridge Bay, Norman Wells and Iqaluit have already arranged for Wolverine to send lobsters and crabs along, Johnston says.

Even those squeamish customers are being accommodated. If desired, staff at Wolverine will clean the products themselves and cooking tips are also provided upon request.

Either way, gourmet dining at home in Yellowknife might never be the same.