Fury as woke Whole Foods pulls Maine lobster from its shelves because the industry threatens right whales with fishing gear – sparking fears hundreds of historic jobs could lost
- Whole Foods will stop selling lobsters from the Gulf of Maine in an effort to protect endangered whales
- The decision comes after a Maine judge ruled that lobster fishing agencies will have to abide by a new set of rules to protect the whales by 2024
- Whale advocates have shared their concerns about the risks behind fishing gear and said that entanglement is a massive threat to the mammals
- Some officials in Maine were disappointed in the decision and said that there has ‘never’ been a whale death as a result of lobster gear in the state
Environmental groups are once again at odds with politicians and fishermen in New England in the wake of a decision by high-end retail giant Whole Foods to stop selling Maine lobster.
Whole Foods recently said that it will stop selling lobster from the Gulf of Maine at hundreds of its stores around the country.
The ‘woke’ company cited decisions by a pair of sustainability organizations to take away their endorsements of the U.S. lobster fishing industry.
The organizations, Marine Stewardship Council and Seafood Watch, both cited concerns about risks to rare North Atlantic right whales from fishing gear. Entanglement in gear is one of the biggest threats to the whales.
The decision by Whole Foods was an ‘important action to protect the highly endangered’ whale, said Virginia Carter, an associate with the Save America’s Wildlife Campaign at Environment America Research and Policy Center.
‘With fewer than 340 North Atlantic right whales in existence, the species is swimming toward extinction unless things turn around,’ Carter said.
Job losses among fishermen in Maine may now increase – especially after a judge ruled that new lobster fishing restrictions will be set by 2024.
Whole Foods will stop selling lobsters from the Gulf of Maine in an effort to protect endangered whale
The decision comes after a Maine judge ruled that lobster fishing agencies will have to abide by a new set of rules to protect the whales by 2024
Whale advocates have shared their concerns about the risks behind fishing gear and said that entanglement is a massive threat to the mammals
Pictured: A woman purchasing food at Whole Foods’ hot bar
Whole Foods said in a statement last week that it’s monitoring the situation and ‘committed to working with suppliers, fisheries, and environmental advocacy groups as it develops.’
The company’s decision to stop selling lobster drew immediate criticism in Maine, which is home to the U.S.’s largest lobster fishing industry.
The company’s decision to stop selling lobster drew immediate criticism in Maine
The state’s Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, and its four-member congressional delegation said in a statement that Marine Stewardship Council’s decision to suspend its certification of Gulf of Maine lobster came despite years of diligent protection of whales in the region.
Officials said that they were disappointed in the decision, especially since there has been ‘no whale deaths’ as a result of lobster gear.
‘In an appeal to retailers just weeks ago, we outlined the facts: there has never been a right whale death attributed to Maine lobster gear; Maine lobstermen have a 150-year history of sustainability; and Maine’s lobstering community has consistently demonstrated their commitment to protecting right whales,’ the statement by Mills and the delegation read.
‘Despite this, the Marine Stewardship Council, with retailers following suit, wrongly and blindly decided to follow the recommendations of misguided environmental groups rather than science.’
Maine’s Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, was disappointed in the decision by Whole Foods
Some officials said that they were disappointed in the decision, especially since there has been ‘no whale deaths’ as a result of lobster gear. Pictured: A Portland, Maine protest on October 12 to support the lobster industry
Pictured: Workers processing cooked lobster claws in Maine
Earlier this month in Maine, a federal judge ruled that new lobster fishing restrictions designed to conserve rare whales will be delayed until 2024 to give the government time to design them.
The ruling was made by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg on November 17 amid concerns about whale extinction and fishing gear.
He previously ruled that fishing restrictions issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service didn’t go far enough to protect the whales. Agencies must establish new rules by December 2024.
Meanwhile, Whole Foods was not the first retailer to take lobster off the menu over sustainability concerns.
HelloFresh, the meal kit company, was among numerous retailers to pledge to stop selling lobster in September after California-based Seafood Watch placed American and Canadian lobster fisheries on its ‘red list’ of seafoods to avoid.
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