WASHINGTON — August 27, 2012 — In the wake of the recent incidents in New Brunswick which disrupted the delivery of Maine lobster to Canadian processors, U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Ranking Member of both the Senate Small Business Committee and the Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, has written to Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Karen Mills to request an update on her agency’s efforts to promote the expansion of seafood processing here at home.
The SBA in 2007 was required to work with the Department of Commerce and other federal agencies in encouraging investment in domestic seafood processing facilities for fisheries that currently send large percentages of their catch abroad to be processed and marketed, such as Maine lobster. Senator Snowe also requested a meeting between members of Maine’s lobster industry, federal and state officials, and her staff regarding ways the agency can best assist our state’s lobster fishermen in becoming more competitive.
“Events like those that unfolded earlier this month in Canada demonstrate the necessity of boosting domestic processing of seafood our fishermen catch,” said Senator Snowe. “Indeed, at present, the processing of roughly 50 percent of Maine lobsters takes place in New Brunswick alone, despite the 2007 mandate that various federal agencies work to enhance our ability to process such seafood in the United States. I hope that with a focused effort by the SBA to provide technical support and resources we can expand existing Maine businesses and assist new entrepreneurs to invest in processing operations that will ultimately augment economic development and create jobs here at home.”
Read Senator Snowe's letter here