Gov. Paul R. LePage today announced that the iconic Maine lobster fishery has received the prestigious international Marine Stewardship Council’s Sustainable Seafood Certification. MSC certification recognizes ecologically sound practices, from the harvest through delivery to consumer. Certification provides a competitive advantage in marketing to the growing number of retailers and consumers around the world who place a premium on seafood harvested in an environmentally responsible, sustainable manner. 

LePage made the announcement at the International Boston Seafood Show. 

“The Marine Stewardship Council’s certification will provide the Maine lobster industry with a globally-recognized seal of approval,” the governor said. “This certification recognizes our longstanding practices of good stewardship and ensures that every lobster caught in Maine waters can be marketed not only as delicious, healthy food, but also as a resource that meets the most stringent international environmental standard for seafood sustainability.”

Efforts to support marketing for the Maine lobster have received widespread support in the wake of last season when supply exceeded demand, resulting in the lowest per pound prices in over twenty years. 

“This places greater emphasis on the need for effective marketing and highlights the unique marketing advantage MSC certification provides,” LePage said.

The Marine Stewardship Council is the premier international certification program for wild-capture fisheries. MSC certification is the only seafood certification program that meets all the major international standards on sustainable fishing, ecosystem protection, and eco-labeling. Currently, more than 100 fisheries worldwide are MSC certified. 

To achieve MSC certification, fisheries are assessed based on a rigorous set of standards that include the health of the fish stock, marine ecosystem protection, and the effectiveness of fishery management. Within these core areas are 31 performance indicators used by accredited independent, third-party certification bodies to evaluate a fishery applying for certification. 

The MSC certification program includes a process for tracing each certified lobster to its location of origin, Maine waters, which is key to protecting the Maine brand. 

“This global certification program will open new markets worldwide and just as important it will provide the means to trace our certified lobsters, no matter where in the world they end up, back to waters of Maine,” LePage said.