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Maine lobster fishery awarded prestigious international certification

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Maine Department of Marine Resources

Maine’s Govenor, Paul R. LePage , while attending the 2013 International Boston Seafood Show, announced that the iconic Maine lobster fishery has received the prestigious international Marine Stewardship Council’s Sustainable Seafood Certification. MSC certification recognizes ecologically sound practices, from the harvest through delivery to consumer. Certification provides a competitive advantage in marketing to the growing number of retailers and consumers around the world who place a premium on seafood harvested in an environmentally responsible, sustainable manner.

“The Marine Stewardship Council’s certification will provide the Maine lobster industry with a globally-recognized seal of approval,” the governor said. “This certification recognizes our longstanding practices of good stewardship and ensures that every lobster caught in Maine waters can be marketed not only as delicious, healthy food, but also as a resource that meets the most stringent international environmental standard for seafood sustainability.”

The MSC certification program includes a process for tracing each certified lobster to its location of origin, Maine waters, which is key  to protecting the Maine brand.

The history of Maine lobsters starts with James Rosier, who chronicled the Waymouth expedition of 1605. Near Burnt Island in Muscongus Bay, Rosier reported, “With a small net…very nigh the shore, we got about thirty very good and great Lobsters.”

There are several places along the coast of Maine where you can visit displays about different aspects of lobstering including the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, the Department of Marine Resources Aquarium in Boothbay, the Ira C. Darling Center on the Damariscotta River, and the Mount Desert Oceanarium in Southwest Harbor. Rockland’s lobster festival on the first weekend of August serves up ten tons of lobsters.

Tags: Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce Annual Chef's Lobster Bite Competition, Coastal Maine, Lobstering in Maine, Lobsters Gulf of Maine, Maine department of Marine Resources Aquarium Boothbay harbor, Maine lobsters, Maine maritime Museum Bath

This entry was posted on Monday, March 18th, 2013 at 4:26 pm and is filed under B&B Boothbay Harbor, Boothbay B&B, Maine, Maine Coast Activities. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.