August 2, 2019 — It is now legal to process raw, shell-on lobster parts in Massachusetts, the US’s second largest state for landings.
Charlie Baker, the state’s governor, on Wednesday signed the state’s $43.3 billion fiscal 2020 budget bill, which included a provision to end the decades-old prohibition, the Gloucester Daily Times reports.
Under the new measure, which went immediately into effect, wholesale seafood dealers licensed by the state’s Department of Public Health are permitted to process raw lobsters and import raw, shell-on lobster parts and tails. The change also allows for the retail sale of already-frozen raw, in-shell tails, the newspaper explains.