Pair of Maine Lobstermen Have Licenses Suspended for Marine Resource Law Violations

A pair of Maine lobstermen had their licenses suspended by the Department of Marine Resources (DMR) for violating “laws intended to protect harvesters’ property and to sustain the lobster resource.”

Calvin Pinkham, 55, of Steuben, was charged last year for stealing 59 lobster traps that belonged to seven other fishermen. DMR Commissioner Patrick Keliher suspended Pinkham's license for three years.

Pinkham pleaded guilty to seven counts of trap molesting and was ordered to pay $8,732 in restitution to the victims. His license will be reinstated in 2025...

Florida Lobster Company, President Sentences for Exporting Falsely Labeled Lobster

Aifa Seafood, a Florida seafood company, and its president, Jiu Fa Chen, 57, of Parkland, were sentenced after pleading guilty to exporting falsely-labeled spiny lobster from Florida to China.

From May through August 2019, Aifa purchased seafood products destined for export to China. In order to meet the demand for spiny lobster, Aifa imported lobster from Haiti to reexport to China. The company reexported 5,900 pounds of lobster and fasely labeled that lobster as “Live Florida Spiny Lobsters, Product of U.S.A...

Friendly’s Preps for Summer with Return of Lobster Roll

Friendly’s Restaurants is bringing the boardwalk feel to its restaurants through its new Summer Festival Menu featuring some lobster dishes.

Starting in May and running through September, guests at Friendly’s can opt for its Classic Lobster roll which features lobster salad, celery and crisp lettuce paired with French fries. And perhaps start things off with Friendly’s Lobster Bisque Soup feature lobster chunks, cream soup in either a crock or a cup.

“We’re excited to stay at the forefront of menu innovation and introduce our new Summer Festival menu that is filled...

FFAW: Second Lobster Buying Stoppage in Newfoundland Coming to an End

FFAW said the Lobster Committee approved a proposal from the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) on May 6, ending the second buying stoppage initiated by processors in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The tentative proposal will go into effect, pending signing, as soon as it can be arranged. FFAW said the move would end the “industry stalemate" and resume the lobster fishery.

According to the FFAW, the ASP counterproposal focused on removing Thursdays from the price calculation until Mother’s Day. The deal will...

SEA-NL Demands Province Order ‘Serious’, Sweeping Review of Fish-Price Setting System 

Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) demands the provincial government order a “serious” and sweeping investigation into the broken fish price-setting system after last year’s token review failed to fix it.

“This province’s three largest commercial fisheries — snow crab, northern shrimp, and lobster — are all in chaos this season, and two of them for the second year in a row,” says Ryan Cleary, SEA-NL’s Executive Director. 

“It’s obvious that last year’s lightning fast, three-month...

Cousins Maine Lobster Launching New Food Truck Territory in Salt Lake City

Cousins Maine Lobster is launching their latest corporate-owned unit in the Salt Lake City area. The food truck concept will be celebrating their grand opening at Talisman Brewery in Ogden, Utah, this Friday.

“We were looking for a strategic western city for our next corporate food truck and Salt Lake City immediately stood out,” said Sabin Lomac, co-founder of Cousins Maine Lobster.

Cousins Maine Lobster can be found in over 40 cities nationwide. The food truck in the Salt Lake City territory will be...

Maine State Senator Introduces New Bill to Assist Lobstering Industry Hit by Federal Regulations

Maine state Sen. Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, introduced new legislation that aims to help the lobster industry prep for “harmful” regulations that were imposed by the federal government while lawmakers and the industry battle them in court.

The legislation, LD 1552, “An Act to Create the Lobster Innovation Fund,” was the subject of a public hearing before the Legislature’s Marine Resources Committee. The bill is the latest in ongoing work in the Maine Legislature to grapple with and push back against federal restrictions, per a release...

Amid Snow Crab Battle, FFAW Says Lobster Fishery Also Sits in Crisis Mode

The Fish Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) union said another fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador is facing a ‘crisis.’

This time lobster is in the spotlight.

The union shared that a formula calculation released on April 26 saw harvester share for lobster at $14.37 per pound, while the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP), called for a price of $14.20.

FFAW admitted that the number is expected to drop in the coming weeks as fisheries open throughout the region...

Claws for Thought! New Breeding Scheme to Save Europe's Lobster Capital in the North East

EXCLUSIVE: A pioneering breeding scheme is replenishing lobster stocks to ensure the North East remains Europe's crustacean capital, despite a mystery die-off that decimated the £35million a year industry.

Perched on a windswept headland, Whitby Abbey’s dramatic ruins attract thousands of visitors to the Yorkshire seaside town that inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Few, if any, will have given a second glance to the single-storey building amid the fish and chip shops and amusement arcades on the opposite side of the harbour...

Cousins Maine Lobster Celebrating Grand Opening in Virginia

Food truck Cousins Maine Lobster is celebrating their grand opening in Virginia this Saturday, March 11. 

The Virginia food truck is being led by brothers Yunus and Thameem Shahul, who initially joined the Cousins Maine Lobster franchise in September 2018 with a food truck in Connecticut. Six months later Shahul added a second truck dedicated to New York City and now they own five trucks across the DMV market.

“We are committed to investing in the DMV with the goal of  building the same strong customer base that we have in...

Maine’s Commercial Fisheries Value for 2022 Drops 37% From 2021

Maine’s Department of Marine Resources has released the 2022 commercial fisheries value. And while the figure is a 37% drop from the record in 2021, it’s still an impressive figure and on par with recent averages. 

According to the Maine DMR, in 2022 harvesters in the state earned $574,049,682. This figure is 37% less  than the 2021 reported value of $890,668,873. However the DMR says that it is “still consistent with the average value of all Maine commercially harvested marine resources between 2011 and 2020, which was...

Northern Wind Showcasing Line of MSC Certified North Atlantic Lobster At Boston Seafood Show

Northern Wind, a processor of nearly 20 million pounds of seafood annually, is making a big push on lobster this year at the upcoming Seafood Expo North America in Boston. The company announced that they will be showcasing their line of MSC Certified North Atlantic lobster at the March event. 

Northern Wind, which is owned by ACON Investments, has been a leader in scallops for years, but also processes fresh and frozen Ahi tuna, lobster, and value-added seafood products. Following an investment from ACON....

Lobster Vessels Testing Ropeless Fishing Gear Off Massachusetts, Rhode Island Through April 30

Thirty federally permitted commercial lobster vessels are testing on-demand fishing gear, which is also known as ropeless fishing gear. The testing is being done in two of the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Restricted Areas, which are federal waters that are otherwise closed to fishing with static vertical lines.

NOAA Fisheries released an update on the testing Tuesday, revealing that the fishing with the experimental gear will run through the end of April. Participating vessels are allowed to fish up to 10 trawls each using...

ANALYSIS: Live Lobster Prices Slide as Supply from Canadian Spring Season Enters Market

The shore price in Canada started the year at CA$8.00 and quickly escalated to CA$13.00. Limited fishing and light landings this fall and winter, combined with the short-lived demand for Chinese New Year, resulted in market prices firming in January, eventually peaking in March. Meanwhile, the Maine boat price held steady at $10.00 on limited catches. Supply constraints and sustained acquisition pricing remained in place as the spring season unfolded.

However, given the rapid increase in replacement costs, and the...

Quiznos Canada Brings Back Lobster Sub Featuring King & Prince Seafood Product

Lobster is back on the menu at Quiznos! Well, if you’re in Canada.
 
Quiznos announced this week that lobster subs are once again available at participating locations in Canada. And just like their U.S. locations, their subs are made with a lobster and seafood salad made with North Atlantic lobster and Alaskan whitefish from King & Prince Seafood. 

“Bringing our Lobster Subs back with crave-able, high-end recipes is a testament to our priority of meeting the cravings of our consumers,” said Mike Gieseman, Vice President of Culinary and...

PHOTOS: Suspected Smuggled Live Lobsters Seized By Hong Kong Customs Agents

Late last month Hong Kong Customs agents seized approximately 280 kilograms of unmanifested live lobsters, as well as 70 unmanifested computer display cards. Both the lobster and computer display cards had a total estimated market value of about $600,000.

The anti-smuggling operation took place at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port. Customs agents inspected a private car that was outbound and declared to be empty. Instead they found the live lobsters and computer display cards in the trunk...

FFAW Says NL Lobster Buyers Have Initiated Second Stoppage

FFAW-Unifor President Greg Pretty said on May 3 that lobster buyers had initiated a second stoppage just days after the Newfoundland and Labrador processors agreed to resume buying product.

Pretty said that the move to halt purchasing lobster is a display of buyers “exerting their control over harvesters, the province and the Department of Labour in their refusal to buy product.”

“The refusal of companies to buy lobster has the crab crisis stamped all over it,” Pretty argued.

FFAW again called for outside...

Canadian Processors to Resume Purchases of NL Lobster

FFAW-Unifor shared the news that the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) has agreed to resume buying lobster on May 1 at the formula calculated price.

FFAW-Unifor President Greg Pretty received a call from ASP Executive Director Jeff Loder on April 30 with the news as one battle between processors and harvesters in the province seems to be resolved.

“The move is a positive signal for harvesters who have remained steadfast in their determination to stand up for a fair market share of their fisheries,” FFAW wrote in an update...

Atlantic Herring Harvesters Eligible for $7 Million in Federal Disaster Relief

The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) is working to confirm eligibility for disaster relief funds for Atlantic herring harvesters who have been impacted by the massive decline in spawning stock biomass and the following quota reductions for the critical lobster bait fishery.

The DMR shared that the funds total $7 million and were appropriated by  the US Congress in 2022 following a request submitted by Maine Governor Janet Mills to the Secretary of Commerce in 2020 in which she highlighted significant declines in spawning potential and...

Maine Lobstering Union Testifies At Hearing For RESCUE Whales Act of 2023

In February Representative Raúl Grijalva introduced the “Restoring Effective Science-based Conservation Under Environmental Laws Protecting Whales Act of 2023,” also known as the RESCUE Whales Act. The RESCUE Whales Act was created in response to a provision that Congress had tacked onto a 2022 spending bill to protect lobstermen and allow the U.S. lobster fishery to delay new regulations for six years. 

“The language passed into law in the omnibus poses an existential threat to the dwindling North Atlantic right whale population,” Rep. Grijvalva said in a press statement...

Red Lobster Offering Endless Lobster to 150 Guests At New York Times Square Location

It’s the most coveted reservation. On Tuesday, March 28, the New York Times Square Red Lobster location is hosting “Endless Lobster,” a one-day-only event where “lob-sessed” guests can enjoy an endless amount of live Maine lobster for free! But, of course, not everyone can enjoy this exciting promotion.

In order to participate in Red Lobster’s Endless Lobster event, seafood lovers in the New York City area must score a reservation for one of the three seating windows...

Aifa Seafood President Pleads Guilty To Exporting Falsely Labeled Spiny Lobster  

Jiu Fa Chen, the president of Aifa Seafood, Inc., has pled guilty to exporting falsely labeled spiny lobster from Florida to China.

During the period of May through August 2019, Aifa Seafood reportedly purchased seafood products for export to China. However, in order to meet the high demand, Aifa imported lobster from Haiti and then falsely labeled the product as “Live Florida Spiny Lobsters, Product of U.S.A.” 

As a result of falsely labeling products for export, the company is...

Cousins Maine Lobster Relaunching in Pittsburgh

Cousins Maine Lobster franchise owners, husband and wife team Savas and Victoria Alkoc, are expanding their operations. The Alkoc’s, who joined the Cousins Maine Lobster franchise family in 2018, recently had the chance to purchase an existing franchise in Pittsburgh.

“Pittsburgh was an incredible opportunity for us,” said Savas. “This has been a successful market for the Cousins Maine Lobster brand since 2018. The community has been so supportive, we have a strong following here and people are excited to see that we are back and offering the lobster experience they love.”

Valentine’s Day 2023: Salmon to Dominate at Retail, But Same Can’t Be Said For Lobster

Valentine’s Day, a holiday of love… and spending. This year the National Retail Federation reports that consumers are expected to spend $25.9 billion on Valentine’s Day, which is up from $23.9 billion in 2022, and one of the highest spending years on record. But with inflation, is this really a surprise? 

Of course many plan on spending money on gifts, like candy, greeting cards and flowers. But the gift of an experience – including dinner – is also at the top of the list for many...