Whole Foods decision to pull lobster divides environmentalists, politicians

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Environmental teams are as soon as once more at odds with politicians and fishermen in New England within the wake of a decision by high-end retail big Whole Foods to cease promoting Maine lobster.

Whole Foods lately stated that it’s going to cease promoting lobster from the Gulf of Maine at tons of of its shops across the nation. The firm cited selections by a pair of sustainability organizations to take away their endorsements of the U.S. lobster fishing trade.

The organizations, Marine Stewardship Council and Seafood Watch, each cited issues about dangers to uncommon North Atlantic proper whales from fishing gear. Entanglement in gear is without doubt one of the greatest threats to the whales.

The decision by Whole Foods was an “important action to protect the highly endangered” whale, stated Virginia Carter, an affiliate with the Save America’s Wildlife Campaign at Environment America Research & Policy Center.

“With fewer than 340 North Atlantic right whales in existence, the species is swimming toward extinction unless things turn around,” Carter stated.

Whole Foods stated in an announcement final week that it’s monitoring the state of affairs and “committed to working with suppliers, fisheries, and environmental advocacy groups as it develops.”

The firm’s decision to cease promoting lobster drew quick criticism in Maine, which is dwelling to the U.S.’s largest lobster fishing trade. The state’s Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, and its four-member congressional delegation stated in an announcement that Marine Stewardship Council’s decision to droop its certification of Gulf of Maine lobster got here regardless of years of stewardship and safety of whales by Maine fishermen.

“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,” Mills and the delegation stated.

Whole Foods was not the primary retailer to take lobster off the menu over sustainability issues. HelloFresh, the meal equipment firm, was amongst quite a few retailers to pledge to stop selling lobster in September after California-based Seafood Watch positioned American and Canadian lobster fisheries on its “red list” of seafoods to keep away from.