A lawsuit related to Maine’s lobster industry is no longer stuck in the claws of the legal system.
A federal judge recently ruled that the Maine Lobstermen’s Association and others can proceed with their defamation suit against the nonprofit Seafood Watch, The New York Times reported on Monday. The lobstermen’s group initially sued the nonprofit, which is run by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, almost two years ago, following Seafood Watch’s downgrading of Maine lobster from yellow to red in its sustainability ratings.
“This ruling is a crucial step in holding the Monterey Bay Aquarium accountable for misleading statements that have unfairly targeted our industry,” Patrice McCarron, the executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, said in a statement. “Maine lobstermen have been stewards of the ocean for generations, and we are committed to defending our livelihood against baseless claims.”
Back in 2022, Seafood Watch changed the sustainability rating for American lobsters caught off Maine, telling consumers that they should no longer buy the crustaceans, the Times noted. At the time, the nonprofit said that the fishing gear used to catch lobsters was posing a threat to endangered North Atlantic right whales. Around the same time, the Marine Stewardship Council similarly announced that it was no longer considering Maine lobster sustainable because of those fishing-gear issues.
However, the fishermen suing Seafood Watch say that the group’s rating was based on irrelevant and outdated data, and that the industry has worked to modify its gear, The New York Times wrote. They also say that the rating downgrade led some customers to cancel their contracts and the average price of a pound of lobster to fall 40 percent.
“Reputation and goodwill cannot be adequately replaced through awarding damages and this injury lingers as long as the ‘red listing’ does,” Judge John A. Woodcock Jr. wrote in his decision.
In response to Woodcock Jr.’s ruling, Seafood Watch has filed an appeal, the Times reported. The Monterey Bay Aquarium said in a statement cited by the newspaper that the lawsuit should be dismissed according to a Maine law meant to protect free speech.
For now, though, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association will proceed with its fight against Seafood Watch, in the hopes that the nonprofit will amend its rating of Maine lobster. As we gear up for the summer season, lobster-roll lovers will likely be watching closely to see how the rest of the case plays out.
Authors
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Tori Latham