John Hathaway, CEO and president of lobster processor Shucks Maine Lobster, says the state’s health is tied to the health of the lobster industry.
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The lobster industry has had a rough year with the pandemic limiting restaurant outings, labor shortages making crews harder to find and a court ruling reinstating a ban on lobster fishing in a huge swath of the Gulf of Maine in order to protect right whales.
The outlook for the next year looks rough as the pandemic lingers and the right whale lawsuit continues through the courts. In order for the industry to survive and the state overall to thrive, lobster needs to be king, says John Hathaway, CEO and president of lobster processor Shucks Maine Lobster.
“Maine lobster is Maine. Why don’t people understand how important the industry is?” Hathaway said. “Millions of people come every year to Maine and want more information on Maine lobster. A cruise docks and there’s thousands of people who didn’t come here for the Maine Mall — they’re coming here for lobster.”
“It’s not a working waterfront issue. It’s a statewide issue that affects tourism, stores, restaurants, getting people to come here in the first place,” Hathaway says.
Hathway sees the right whale lawsuit as mired in politics and Mainers need to react.
“The government has decided to take over federal waters and take away the best fishing waters for Maine fishermen. It’s taking away the livelihoods of the fishing community and the economy of Maine,” Hathaway says.
“There needs to be a bigger outcry from the state of Maine. It has to be more than the fishing community championing the cause of the lobster industry,” Hathaway says. “The severity of it all has an impact on all of us. Not just on the fishery. But on the whole Maine economy.”