Businesses Stop Selling Lobster Because of Whale Concerns
2022-09-16
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1Some American businesses have stopped selling lobster because of concerns that fishing methods could harm endangered whales.
2Several food companies announced they had removed lobster offerings to the public.
3The removals came after a conservation group said it had added the American and Canadian lobster fisheries to its "red list."
4It is a list of species to avoid when buying seafood.
5The organization that makes the list is called Seafood Watch.
6It is based at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in northern California.
7Seafood Watch said in a new report that the fishing industry is a danger to North Atlantic right whales.
8The whales can suffer injury or death when they become trapped in equipment that connects lobster traps to the ocean floor.
9The organization's report said that "current management measures do not go far enough" to prevent such risks and to support efforts to save the whale species.
10Thousands of businesses use Seafood Watch's guidelines to make buying decisions.
11Many have already promised to avoid any products that appear on the red list.
12A spokesperson for Blue Apron, a New York-based food seller, said the company had already stopped offering a seasonal lobster box before the report came out.
13The company said all the seafood it currently uses follows Seafood Watch's guidelines.
14German meal kit seller HelloFresh also promised shortly after the announcement to stop selling lobster.
15In a statement, a spokesperson said the company is committed to following the Seafood Watch guidelines.
16Seafood Watch rates more than 2,000 seafood products as "best choice," "good alternative" and "avoid."
17The ratings are based on how sustainably the products are harvested or fished.
18The organization's guidelines have been influential in the past.
19It red-listed shrimp fishing operations in the southern state of Louisiana.
20That action led to increased conservation efforts to better protect sea turtles.
21The fishery was later removed from the red list.
22The lobster fishing industry has been under pressure from Seafood Watch in recent years because of the threat of entanglement in fishing equipment.
23Experts say there are fewer than 340 North Atlantic right whales.
24Entanglement is one of the two biggest threats they face, scientists and conservation groups say.
25Another threat is the danger of crashes with ships.
26The population of the giant animals was greatly harmed by intensive whaling generations ago.
27Whale numbers have also decreased in recent years.
28Members of the lobster fishing industry disagreed with the Seafood Watch rating.
29The director of the Maine Lobstermen's Association, Patrice McCarron, told The Associated Press that no interaction between the lobster industry and right whales had been recorded in the northeastern state in nearly 20 years.
30"Lobster is one of the most sustainable fisheries in the world due to the effective stewardship practices handed down through generations of lobstermen," McCarron said.
31She added that this has included strong protections "for both the lobster resource and right whales."
32American and Canadian lobster fishermen target the same species, the American lobster.
33This species is popular as live seafood and is also used in processed products such as lobster rolls and lobster ravioli.
34A large majority of the world's American lobster is harvested in New England and eastern Canada.
35The sea creatures are important parts of the economy and the cultural history of those areas.
36I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Some American businesses have stopped selling lobster because of concerns that fishing methods could harm endangered whales. Several food companies announced they had removed lobster offerings to the public. 2The removals came after a conservation group said it had added the American and Canadian lobster fisheries to its "red list." It is a list of species to avoid when buying seafood. The organization that makes the list is called Seafood Watch. It is based at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in northern California. 3Seafood Watch said in a new report that the fishing industry is a danger to North Atlantic right whales. The whales can suffer injury or death when they become trapped in equipment that connects lobster traps to the ocean floor. 4The organization's report said that "current management measures do not go far enough" to prevent such risks and to support efforts to save the whale species. 5Thousands of businesses use Seafood Watch's guidelines to make buying decisions. Many have already promised to avoid any products that appear on the red list. A spokesperson for Blue Apron, a New York-based food seller, said the company had already stopped offering a seasonal lobster box before the report came out. The company said all the seafood it currently uses follows Seafood Watch's guidelines. 6German meal kit seller HelloFresh also promised shortly after the announcement to stop selling lobster. In a statement, a spokesperson said the company is committed to following the Seafood Watch guidelines. 7Seafood Watch rates more than 2,000 seafood products as "best choice," "good alternative" and "avoid." The ratings are based on how sustainably the products are harvested or fished. 8The organization's guidelines have been influential in the past. It red-listed shrimp fishing operations in the southern state of Louisiana. That action led to increased conservation efforts to better protect sea turtles. The fishery was later removed from the red list. 9The lobster fishing industry has been under pressure from Seafood Watch in recent years because of the threat of entanglement in fishing equipment. Experts say there are fewer than 340 North Atlantic right whales. Entanglement is one of the two biggest threats they face, scientists and conservation groups say. Another threat is the danger of crashes with ships. 10The population of the giant animals was greatly harmed by intensive whaling generations ago. Whale numbers have also decreased in recent years. 11Members of the lobster fishing industry disagreed with the Seafood Watch rating. The director of the Maine Lobstermen's Association, Patrice McCarron, told The Associated Press that no interaction between the lobster industry and right whales had been recorded in the northeastern state in nearly 20 years. 12"Lobster is one of the most sustainable fisheries in the world due to the effective stewardship practices handed down through generations of lobstermen," McCarron said. She added that this has included strong protections "for both the lobster resource and right whales." 13American and Canadian lobster fishermen target the same species, the American lobster. This species is popular as live seafood and is also used in processed products such as lobster rolls and lobster ravioli. 14A large majority of the world's American lobster is harvested in New England and eastern Canada. The sea creatures are important parts of the economy and the cultural history of those areas. 15I'm Bryan Lynn. 16The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 17_____________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19conservation - n. the protection of animals, plants, and natural resources 20species - n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants 21manage - v. to do something or deal with something successfully 22kit -n. a group of parts that can be put together to make something 23alternative - n. one of two or more things that you can choose between 24sustainable - adj. involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources 25entangle - v. cause to become twisted together 26stewardship - n. the way in which a person controls or organizes something 27What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 281. Write your comment in the box. 292. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. 303. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with "D" on it. It is free. 31Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.