November 17, 2022 — Maine’s lobster fishery suffered another blow Wednesday with the announcement that it’s losing an international sustainability certification — just two months after it was red-listed by an international seafood rating program. The Marine Stewardship Council, or MSC, said the decision is the result of an independent audit examining the fisheries’ risk to right whales.
Stonington fisherman Mike Dassatt, who serves on the Downeast Lobstermen’s Association, said he’s frustrated and exhausted by the repercussions the lobster fishery are facing because of the endangered status of right whales.
“Frankly I’m getting tired of it. It’s making it very difficult for us to make a living. It’s just— it’s ludicrous,” he said.
In September, Seafood Watch, a program out of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, similarly announced that it could no longer recommend consumption of lobster from the U.S. and Canada.