Those with a craving for Lobster can now telephone order a complete pre-cooked lobster meal thanks to the entrepreneurial efforts of a Prince Edward Island resident. And he will even pay for the 1-800 call! The Atlantic-Canada crustaceans are being shipped on demand by Mr. Rod MacNeill, owner of West Isle Enterprises Limited, a trading company on P.E.I.

Bringing P.E.I. lobsters to Bermuda was an idea thought of by Mr. MacNeill while on one of his several visits to the island. The entrepreneur said the business idea began over a drink after completing a round of golf at the Mid Ocean Club.

As of yesterday morning about 35 orders had been taken via a 1-800 number paid for by Mr. MacNeill.

This makes Mr. MacNeill, apparently, only the second owner of a 1-800 number free for overseas calls from Bermuda. Other 1-800 numbers are normally not available to Bermuda callers and the ones that are cost the caller money, like a normal long distance call.

"I have to sell to the customer so I have to talk to the customer,'' Mr.

MacNeill told The Royal Gazette from P.E.I.

Mrs. Maryann Byrne, one of the first customers, said she and her family decided to try the lobster kit and were pleased with the results.

She said the P.E.I. lobsters "definitely had a different flavour (than Bermuda lobsters)'' but they were certainly "enjoyable''.

Having attended school in eastern Canada, and her husband originally from Nova Scotia, Mrs. Byrne said they were interested in giving the offer a try and were not disappointed.

The lobster kits, complete with one pair of lobster crackers, four place mats, four lobster picks, four lobster bibs and 10 pounds of lobster from Canada's east coast -- all in a convenient styrofoam cooler -- cost $99.95 and can be picked up at Hamilton MarketPlace. Mr. MacNeill also supplies The MarketPlace with P.E.I. potatoes.

"In my series of travels to Bermuda, I felt there was a market for fresh-cooked lobsters,'' he added.

The first orders were sent from Bermuda last week with the first shipment arriving last Friday. Orders made before Wednesdays can be picked up at The MarketPlace Hamilton store on Fridays.

Mr. MacNeill recommended the lobsters be eaten on the night of purchase or the next day.

In order for the so-called "pilot-project'' to continue, he said, there will have to be a demand.

Mr. MacNeill is also considering expanding in August to offer the same service to the Bahamas and a few US cities.

"It is an investment and we hope to be there in future from May to October,'' he added.

The lobsters must be cooked before shipped to Bermuda, as law prohibits transport of live crustaceans to the island.

Mr. Allan Doughty, vice-president of The MarketPlace, said he has tried "P.E.I. Lobster Kit'' and was quite pleased.

"Absolutely delicious,'' is how he described it.

The taste and texture, he added, is different from the unique Bermuda lobster, but nonetheless, it was an excellent meal.

Bermuda lobsters are not as abundant to consumers as they once were because of the moratorium on fish pots in the 1990 Fisheries Management Plan handed down by Government.

Mr. Wilfred Boorman, manager of marketing business systems at the Bermuda Telephone Company Ltd. could not be reached yesterday for details on how the 1-800 service was set up from Bermuda.