Lobsters used to be ground up and used as fertilizer. Nobody thought they were edible or worth eating.
Back in the small New England town where I grew up, our local supermarket had a live lobster tank and a big steamer. You could select your lobster, finish the rest of your shopping, then come back to pick your freshly steamed lobster. I vaguely remember the price at about $2.00/pound.
OH, the huge manatee!.......................