Baltimore Sun

Retailers taking lobsters off menus after ‘red list’ warning

- By Patrick Whittle

PORTLAND, Maine — Some retailers are taking lobster off the menu after an assessment from an influentia­l conservati­on group that the seafood poses too much of a risk to rare whales and should be avoided.

Whales can suffer injuries and fatalities when they become entangled in the gear that connects to lobster traps on the ocean floor.

Seafood Watch, which rates the sustainabi­lity of different seafoods, said this week it has added the American and Canadian lobster fisheries to its “red list” of species to avoid.

The organizati­on, based at Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, said in a report that the fishing industry is a danger to North Atlantic right whales because “current management measures do not go far enough to mitigate entangleme­nt risks and promote recovery of the species.”

Thousands of businesses use Seafood Watch’s recommenda­tions to inform seafood buying decisions, and many have pledged to avoid any items that appear on the red list.

A spokespers­on for Blue Apron, the New York meal kit retailer, said after the release of the report that the company no longer offers lobster.

HelloFresh, the Germany-based meal kit company that is the largest such company operating in the U.S., also pledged shortly after the announceme­nt to stop selling lobster.

“HelloFresh is committed to responsibl­e sourcing and follows guidelines from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program,” said Saskia Leisewitz, a spokespers­on for HelloFresh.

Seafood Watch assigns ratings of “best choice,” “good alternativ­e” and “avoid” to more than 2,000 seafood items based on how sustainabl­y they are managed.

The organizati­on’s recommenda­tions have been influentia­l in the past, such as when it red-listed the Louisiana shrimp fishery, prompting efforts to better protect sea turtles. The fishery was later removed from the red list.

North Atlantic right whales number less than 340 and entangleme­nt is one of the two biggest threats they face, along with collisions with ships, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheri­c Administra­tion and other groups have said.

Members of the lobster fishing industry, which is also coping with increased federal fishing restrictio­ns to protect the whales, pushed back against the rating. The lobster industry in Maine, where most of the U.S.’s lobster comes to land, has not had a documented interactio­n with a right whale in almost two decades, said Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Associatio­n.

“Lobster is one of the most sustainabl­e fisheries in the world due to the effective stewardshi­p practices handed down through generation­s of lobstermen. These include strict protection­s for both the lobster resource and right whales,” McCarron said.

The U.S. lobster fishery was worth more than $900 million at the docks in 2021, when fishermen caught more than 130 million pounds of the crustacean­s.

 ?? ROBERT F. BUKATY/AP ?? A fisherman drops an undersized lobster back into the water while fishing Thursday off Kennebunkp­ort, Maine. Some retailers are no longer offering lobster.
ROBERT F. BUKATY/AP A fisherman drops an undersized lobster back into the water while fishing Thursday off Kennebunkp­ort, Maine. Some retailers are no longer offering lobster.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States