PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 21, 2022
Whole Foods Market said Monday that it will stop selling Gulf of Maine lobster in its nearly 500 stores nationwide following the fishery’s loss of two certifications for environmental sustainability. The Marine Stewardship Council announced that it is suspending the certification of sustainability for the fishery effective Dec. 15, citing its failure to comply with laws designed to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale. In September, Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program added the U.S. lobster fishery to a “red list” of seafood to avoid. Marianne LaCroix, executive director of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative, said it was disappointing that Whole Foods will no longer carry Maine lobster, despite the fishery’s long history of sustainability and commitment to protecting the whales.