Saving Seafood

Dem lawmaker criticizes Biden for ritzy White House state dinner serving ‘200 Maine lobsters’

December 1, 2022 — A Democratic lawmaker is pushing back on President Biden’s pompous White House celebration, where 200 live lobsters will be served for guests Thursday during a state dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron.

The night before the dinner, where guests are expected to enjoy lobster and caviar, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, took to Twitter to urge Biden to meet with the lobstermen his administration is “currently regulating out of business.”

“If the Biden White House can prioritize purchasing 200 Maine lobsters for a fancy dinner, [Biden] should also take the time to meet with the Maine lobstermen his administration is currently regulating out of business,” Golden said in a tweet.

The red, white and blue-themed dinner with Macron, France’s first lady Brigitte Macron, and others will be the first state visit Biden has allowed at the White House since 2021 as other events were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Golden’s tweet is his latest call on Biden to uphold his promises to protect Maine’s lobster industry, especially amid a new dispute with whale conservationists.

The Maine lawmaker released a statement in October saying Biden broke his promise to Maine lobstermen.

“In 2020, while running for president, Biden pledged ‘I will work to protect the livelihood and safety of the fishing community’ in reference to lobstermen. He has yet to take a single action to make good on that pledge,” Golden said.

Read the full article at Fox News

Jared Golden rips Biden for ‘fancy’ Emmanuel Macron lobster dinner

December 1, 2022 — A Maine Democratic lawmaker gave President Biden a verbal pinch for shipping in 200 lobsters to serve at Thursday’s White House state dinner — amid a fierce debate over how the state’s fishing industry should be regulated.

After it emerged that butter-poached Maine lobster would be on the menu for Biden’s White House meal with French President Emmanuel Macron, Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) took aim at the ritzy celebration.

“If the Biden White House can prioritize purchasing 200 Maine lobsters for a fancy dinner, @POTUS should also take the time to meet with the Maine lobstermen his administration is currently regulating out of business,” Golden tweeted late Wednesday.

Read the full articles at New York Post

MAINE: Maine lobsterman urges Whole Foods to ‘do more homework’ before pulling lobsters from stores over rare whale

November 30, 2022 — A Maine fisherman slammed Whole Foods’ decision to stop selling Maine lobsters in its stores on Monday, calling on the grocery chain executives to do their “homework” before writing off the livelihoods of hundreds of lobstermen.

Whole Foods announced that it would stop carrying lobsters caught off the coast from the Gulf of Maine at hundreds of its stores around the country earlier this month in response to environmentalist concerns that the lobster gear allegedly threatens a rare species known as the right whale, only 340 of which exist today.

In an appearance on “Jesse Watters Primetime” Monday, Maine lobsterman Jason Lorde denounced the decision, arguing that no right whale has died due to Maine lobster gear and that the fishing community in the state has long complied with laws and regulations to protect right whales.

Read the full article at Fox News 

MAINE: Fishing underway for pricey scallops

November 30, 2022 — The 2022-23 harvest season of the lucrative sea scallop – among Maine’s and the nation’s top-selling seafoods – has kicked off in Zone 2.

Zone 2 stretches from eastern Penobscot Bay to Quoddy Head in Lubec, where diving for the sought-after bivalves began Nov. 17 and ends April 22. Scallop-dragging gets underway Thursday, Dec. 1, and closes March 30.

Read the full article at Mount Dessert Islander

MAINE: Maine leaders urge retailers not to pull lobsters from cases

November 29, 2022 — Maine’s political leaders are trying to avert a nationwide boycott of American lobster over the industry’s potential impact on critically endangered north Atlantic right whales.

Whole Foods recently announced it will stop selling lobster caught in the Gulf of Maine at hundreds of its retail stores across the country. The company cited concerns raised by sustainability groups, including the Marine Stewardship Council, which has withdrawn its endorsement of the U.S. lobster industry.

The move prompted a terse response from Gov. Janet Mills and members of Maine’s congressional delegation, who criticized the decision, and urged national retailers not to pull lobsters from their cases.

Read the full article at The Center Square

MAINE: Maine Political Leaders Slam Blacklisting of Lobster Fishery

November 28, 2022 — Lobster is a traditional holiday dish in the U.S., but this year, it will be slightly harder to find in the supermarket. Multiple high-end retailers, including HelloFresh, Blue Apron and Whole Foods, have stopped carrying the iconic Maine lobster because it has been removed from the Marine Stewardship Council’s sustainable-seafood list – much to the ire of local lobstermen and Maine’s political leadership.

According to fisheries scientists, vertical-leading lobster/crab pot retrieval lines are among the leading causes of injury and death for the endangered North Atlantic right whale, along with ship strikes. There are about 364 of the whales left, and the survival of the species is now down to the survival of each individual – especially the 88 identified females of breeding age.

After a recent court decision that found that NOAA Fisheries is doing too little to protect North Atlantic right whales, a regional assessor for the Marine Stewardship Council initiated a review of the Gulf of Maine lobster fishery. On November 16, it decided to re-suspend the fishery’s certification for the second time in two years, effective December 15.

Read the full article at The Maritime Executive

MAINE: Maine’s leaders welcome pause on whale protection rules

November 22, 2022 — Maine’s leaders are welcoming a court-imposed two year delay of federal whale protection rules that are expected to impact the state’s lucrative lobster industry.

In a ruling issued last Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg said new fisheries rules aimed at protecting critically endangered North Atlantic right whales will be delayed until December 2024, to give the federal government additional time to design them.

The delay was welcomed news to Maine’s political leaders, who have argued the new rules would be devastating to the state’s storied lobster industry.

Read the full article at The Center Square

Whole Foods to ‘pause’ sales of Maine lobster after sustainable label downgrades

November 22, 2022 — The grocery chain Whole Foods will stop purchasing Gulf of Maine lobster after the Marine Stewardship Council suspended the fishery’s certification last week.

The Marine Stewardship Council suspended the fishery’s certification last week, only months after the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program red-listed the lobster because of risks to endangered North Atlantic right whales. The MSC says its decision was based on an independent audit of the fishery’s risk to the whales.

Read the full article at Maine Public