Why Whole Foods pulled Maine lobster from stores and what's next
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Link copied Nov. 29, 2022, 12:19 AM UTC By Rob Wile
A decision by Whole Foods to pause purchases of Maine lobster has sparked outcry from the state's elected officials and the lobster industry.
Whole Foods' decision, which was announced this month, was prompted by changes in sustainability ratings for Maine lobster fisheries by separate third-party seafood monitoring groups: the California-based Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch and the London-based Marine Stewardship Council.
Both point to a recent U.S. court decision indicating equipment used to harvest lobster off Maine may put North American right whales at risk. The whales have been listed as an endangered species since 1970, and fewer than 350 are believed to remain.
In a joint statement last Tuesday, Maine's congressional delegation and Gov. Janet Mills said they were disappointed by the decisions, saying they harmed "the livelihoods of hardworking men and women up and down Maine's coast."
"There has never been a right whale death attributed to Maine lobster gear," they said. "Maine lobstermen have a 150-year history of sustainability; and Maine's lobstering community has consistently demonstrated their commitment to protecting right whales."
They said the Marine Stewardship Council "wrongly and blindly decided to follow the recommendations of misguided environmental groups rather than science," adding, "We strongly urge the Marine Stewardship Council and retailers to reconsider their potentially devastating decisions."
Maine lobsters are a $1 billion industry providing at least 5,900 direct jobs and indirectly supporting many more, according to the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative, which coordinates media for the state's lobster industry.
The Maine restaurant industry, too, is expressing dismay.
"Maine lobster has always been sustainable and that hasn't changed with the recent announcement from MSC," Steve Kingston, the owner of The Clam Shack in Kennebunk, Maine, said in a statement. "I will continue to proudly stand by Maine Lobster, and would encourage retailers, buyers, and patrons to educate themselves on the nuances of these decisions."
A spokesperson for Monterey Bay did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the Marine Stewardship Council could not immediately be reached for comment.
Whole Foods said the pause in sales would last until at least one of the environmental groups changes its rating. The company said its stores would continue to sell Marine Stewardship Council-certified lobster caught elsewhere.
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So what. I have never even seen a whole foods market.
Well maybe once, in Mobile or something.
Just because they don't want to sell them anymore doesn't mean everyone else has to stop.
We have one here that we shop at on rare occasions. Its the only place I can get a locally made kimchi that I like and that lasts us a very long time.
I've been to the one in Little Rock 2 or 3 times. It's all the way out in West LR where all the rich people live and I live far enough away as it is. I can get groceries just as good at Kroger.
I think Whole Foods decision is based on bad science. But if they don't want to sell lobsters Albertson's and Kroger's will
The best lobster I ever ate in my life was in Provincetown, Cape Cod. It is so damn expensive here I've only eaten it twice here, both times paid for by someone else.
Ahhh maybe you have the government to thank for that banning our crayfish..best thing they ever did and I hope we never send it back over again...
We have never had such cheap crayfish to the extent a whole new fish shop has opened here to meet local demand.
When it was being exported to China we were paying $150 a kilo..now $60...
Crayfish for Christmas again..I can send you the shells if you like...🦞🦞
You can have your crayfish and.....
I only ordered crayfish once in my life, and what a mistake that was. I was on Nantucket Island with a friend and the waiter brought me a pan with 5 black blotches at the bottom of the pan. Fortunately my friend shared his dinner with me.
The Governor of Maine, who happens to be a democrat pointed out that there has never been a documented case of a whale being caught in Lobster netting/gear.
This is once again the woke running this country.
It's one store, Vic, and there's lots of grocery chains in the US. It's not ruining the country. You see boogeymen everywhere
socialist boogeymen...
You're correct in saying that this will not ruin the country. However, Whole Foods is a very popular shopping location with 513 locations in the US in 351 cities.
https://www.scrapehero.com/location-reports/Whole%20Foods%20Market-USA/'
so what? There are more Krogers and Walmarts in my area than Whole Foods. I think it's a snob store for people who want to say they shop at Whole Foods
Well, I've never shopped at Walmart or Whole Foods, so I really cannot comment on their quality and service. However, since I believe in freedom, I fully support your shopping location preferences.
And, there's no documentation that any right whale has ever died due to the Maine lobster business.
Whole Foods represents 1.3% more or less, 513 stores.
There were 38,307 supermarkets counted in the USA in 2018
Number of U.S. supermarket stores by format, 2018 | Statista
That does not include 7-Elevens which are listed as the number 1 supermarket globally
with 46,000 locations, which would add 9,477 stores to the 38,307.
7-Eleven?
Lets face it, between competing supermarkets, restaurants and the internet lobster stores,
Whole Foods' "protest" is only going to hurt Whole Foods.
People will simply buy lobster somewhere else.
Here I have two Krogers and a sea food wholesaler/restaurant all about the same distance away.
Whole Foods marketing is "organic" = higher prices, no thanks.
So you disagree with the Marine Stewardship Council and Seafood Watch concerns about risks to North Atlantic right whales from lobster fishing, why?
I am going to break the internet by agreeing with Vic, Jasper and the Governor
of Maine.
Without a link proving that any New England lobster harvesting has harmed
any right whale in the last 150 years,
this is just as Vic suggested,
some Woke People at Whole Foods virtue signaling.
Thanks for asking.
The Marine Stewardship Counsel reasoning is particularly bizarre. They site a report that said protections for right whales were lacking to blacklist the lobster industry - but it's just a random tangent, and since there are no cases of U.S. lobster gear causing any deaths of right whales if you were to follow the same logic they are using it should be a ban on all fish caught in any area where right whales migrate - which includes the entire north Atlantic.
That said - people should just go out and continue to buy lobster. This black listing will ultimately have much less affect than trade policies related to China on the industry or the rapidly warming waters in the Gulf of Maine.