Lawmakers Tell Agencies to Secure Maine Lobster Market Access in Europe
The State Department, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration should work to counteract requests from the Swedish Ministry of Environment and Energy to the EU to reclassify the Maine lobster as an…
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invasive species and to prohibit live lobster imports to all 28 EU members, four members of Maine’s Congressional delegation wrote in a March 28 letter to the agencies (here). Maine’s top export to the EU is live lobster, and $196 million worth of lobster is exported from the state to Europe every year, wrote Sens. Angus King, I; and Susan Collins, R; and Reps. Chellie Pingree, D; and Bruce Poliquin, R. If reports that people simply releasing lobsters into European waters is true, then local law enforcement should first handle those matters, and countries should not erect barriers to legitimate trade, the lawmakers wrote. “Statements by the European Commission do not deem the appearance of alien species in new locations as a necessary cause for concern,” they said. “Since only a small number of Maine lobsters have been found in foreign waters, we believe regulators should take a more finely tuned approach before calling this an ‘invasion.’” The lawmakers asked that the relevant agencies report back to them about what steps are being taken to ensure continued European market access for Maine lobsters.