ELLSWORTH, Maine — A multi-year effort to see if Maine’s lobster fishery might be listed as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council is nearing completion and appears likely to be approved, according to officials.
The assessment of Maine’s lobster fishery, which last year generated more than $330 million in direct revenue for commercial lobstermen, has been under way since 2008. Industry and state officials contacted this month said the London-based council is expected to make a final determination by next spring, if not sooner.
Some people in the industry have expressed skepticism about getting the fishery certified as sustainable by Marine Stewardship Council, saying that the fishery has long been known for its conservation practices and shouldn’t need an outside, nonprofit entity to make that determination.
Others have said such certification would be a valuable marketing tool that would help promote Maine lobster globally and make it competitive with other Marine Stewardship Council-certified fisheries such as Alaskan pollock, various Scandinavian cod fisheries, or rock lobster in western Australia.
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