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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 34 Number 1
September 2006
Maine launches lobster certification program
PORTLAND, ME – On a Portland pier on the last day of July, lobstermen, business owners, and representatives of the Maine Lobster Promotion Council looked on as Gov. John Baldacci affixed the first plastic tag with the trademarked “Certified Maine Lobster” logo to the claw of a live Maine lobster.
“We hope every lobster caught in Maine waters will soon be wearing these new ID bracelets,” said Kristen Millar, promotion council executive director.
The promotion council said it decided to launch the new certification program because “Maine lobster” has become an almost generic term and the council wants consumers to know whether or not they’re getting what they pay for.
“People might think they’re getting a Maine lobster, but it’s often a different, substandard variety,” Millar said. “These imposter lobsters suck the value out of the Maine lobster industry by usurping the brand attributes that really only are deserved by ‘Maine lobsters’ – flavor and best practices in harvesting.”
By mid-August, Maine lobstermen and lobster dealers were already using the promotional materials and lobsters were showing up in the marketplace wearing Maine Certified Lobster tags on their claws.
“We will be using the promotion materials,” said John Norton, president and CEO of Cozy Harbor Seafood in Portland. “The Certified Maine Lobster program is a positive program for Maine, the industry in general, and Cozy Harbor in particular.”
Norton pointed out that, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service, 81% of the lobster landed in the US in 2004 came from Maine.
“Our lobster fishery is the only one large and sustainable enough to support a branded program,” he said. “We as an industry have to do a better job at marketing our product.”
Norton serves on the nine-member promotion council, filling the dealer seat for the western part of the Maine coast. The law creating the council specified that it would be composed of three representatives – harvester, dealer, and public – from each of the state’s three coastal areas, eastern, mid, and western.
Who can participate
Anyone with a Maine lobster license or Maine lobster dealer license can participate in the certification program. Participants must sign a licensing agreement stating that they will use the Certified Maine Lobster materials only with Maine lobsters. There is no charge to participate in the program since dealers and lobstermen contribute to the promotion council as part of their license fees.
“We have already received a strong response with more inquiries coming in daily from dealers, lobstermen, and customers,” said Marianne LaCroix, Maine Lobster Promotion Council marketing director. “We want to encourage all harvesters and dealers to participate in the program.“
Certified Maine Lobster bands, plastic logo tags, and other promotional materials are currently available for free from the promotion council office in Augusta, added LaCroix. The promotion council is updating its web site to include a special section for program participants, including order forms for Certified Maine Lobster materials and an evaluation form to provide feedback.
In support of the program, the promotion council has developed an educational workshop/demonstration for the American Culinary Federation, the largest professional chefs’ organization in North America, and plans to launch a radio advertising campaign.
Mixed reaction
The Maine Certified Lobster program wasn’t well received by the state’s lobster harvesting neighbors, however.
“Maine lobster is the same lobster whether I catch it here in Massachusetts or a Maine lobsterman catches it in Maine,” said Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association Executive Director Bill Adler.
Another problem, Adler suggested, has to do with quality. He said association statistics show that when soft-shell lobsters are abundant, buyers – especially out-of-town buyers – look elsewhere for product since soft-shells can be weak and are not always shippable.
“So when the quality isn’t available in Maine and the buyer in Albuquerque is insisting on certified Maine lobster, what happens? What happens when a dealer has tanks with several types of lobsters, Maine certified, Massachusetts, Canadian, and others? Will he have to switch bands or tags to meet demand?” asked Adler.
New Hampshire lobsterman Bob Nudd credited the Maine Lobster Promotion Council with doing some good work in the past, such as “The Ultimate White Meat Promotion,” but was less than enthusiastic about this program.
“The native lobster tastes best regardless of where you are. I’ve eaten lobsters from all over, western Australia, the Caribbean, New Jersey, New York, Maine. Tourists come to eat native products because that’s where they are, whether it’s Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, or Rhode Island,” he said. “Personally, I feel that New Hampshire lobsters are the very best.”
For more information on the Maine Certified Lobster program, call the promotion council at (207) 287-5140 or visit the council’s web site at <www.mainelobsterpromo.com>.
Rosanne Mizzoni
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