September 6, 2022 — The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch has released a new set of updated seafood ratings that place North American lobster and Canadian snow crab in the “avoid” category, primarily due to potential impacts the fishery could be having on North Atlantic right whales.

The updated Seafood Watch ratings, released in September 2022, reported the stock status of North American lobster (Homarus americanus) as “uncertain,” though it said overfishing is not occurring. However, it moved the fishery to its red “avoid” list, down from “good alternative,” due to the potential risks the fishery poses North Atlantic right whales. An estimated 330 North Atlantic right whales remain alive in the wild and the species is classified as critically endangered.