Good day all. Every once in a while, SWMBO and I like to indulge in a nice Lobster dinner. For She Who Must be Obeyed, lobster is a big deal. She had her first one in China years ago and it cost her a small fortune. Since we live in New England, It’s not hard for us to get some tasty crustaceans.
However, it looks like the one place we won’t be able to get them is Amazon’s Whole Paycheck Foods supermarkets. They have pulled Maine lobsters from all their stores nationwide for the stupidest of reasons. Here are the details from Fox News:
Maine politicians issued a blistering statement after Whole Foods announced the store would no longer sell lobsters caught off the coast of the New England state in response to environmentalist concerns the fishing industry allegedly threatens a rare whale.
“We are disappointed by Whole Foods’ decision and deeply frustrated that the Marine Stewardship Council’s suspension of the lobster industry’s certificate of sustainability continues to harm the livelihoods of hardworking men and women up and down Maine’s coast,” Maine Gov. Janet Mills wrote in a joint statement with Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, and Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden.
One of the primary businesses in Maine is fishing, especially for lobsters. While other food retailers will happily pick up the slack, the reasoning for this decision is flawed. Lobsters generally live in fairly shallow water, 13-160 feet. They are not caught with nets, but with traps. The traps rest on the bottom and are attached to buoys by a rope. The whales also don’t eat lobsters. As to why Whole Foods pulled Maine lobsters?
The company cited decisions by a pair of sustainability organizations that pulled their support for the U.S. lobster fishing industry.
The Marine Stewardship Council and Seafood Watch recently pulled their endorsements over concerns about risks to rare North Atlantic right whales from fishing gear. Entanglement in gear is one of the biggest threats to the whales.
Hello, the lobster boats don’t use nets, they use traps. Do you idiots not know this?
Political leaders in Maine, which has the largest lobster fishing industry in the country, slammed Whole Foods’ decision, arguing that no right whale has died due to Maine lobster gear and that the fishing community in the state has long worked to protect right whales.
“In an appeal to retailers just weeks ago, we outlined the facts: there has never been a right whale death attributed to Maine lobster gear; Maine lobstermen have a 150-year history of sustainability; and Maine’s lobstering community has consistently demonstrated their commitment to protecting right whales,” the governor and the four other leaders in the state wrote.
The last thing the lobstermen want is to lose their traps for any reason. They aren’t cheap to replace. As the letter to Whole Foods stated, there has never been a recorded instance of a whale, right or otherwise, getting caught up in a line running from the trap to the buoy. Not that those woke leftist do gooders care. It’s all about “The Feelz” after all.
“Despite this, the Marine Stewardship Council, with retailers following suit, wrongly and blindly decided to follow the recommendations of misguided environmental groups rather than science. We strongly urge the Marine Stewardship Council and retailers to reconsider their potentially devastating decisions.”
This Marine Stewardship Council isn’t even based in the United States. It’s in London, England. They don’t have a clue about lobster fishing and are just your typical Eurotrash do gooders. Of course the usual idiots in the United States are happy as clams about shutting down yet another industry.
Environmentalists have meanwhile lauded the sustainability organizations and Whole Foods for the moves. Virginia Carter, an associate with the Save America’s Wildlife Campaign at Environment America Research & Policy Center, said the Whole Foods decision is an “important action to protect the highly endangered” whale.
“With fewer than 340 North Atlantic right whales in existence, the species is swimming toward extinction unless things turn around,” Carter said.
Again, you blithering idiot, what part of “There has never been a recorded instance of a whale getting tangled up in a lobster trap rope!” that you failed to comprehend?
The grocery chain added in a statement that the Marine Stewardship Council and Seafood Watch are “critical to maintaining the integrity of our standards for all wild-caught seafood found in our seafood department.”
“We continue to sell Gulf of Maine lobster in our stores that was procured while still under the active MSC certification (prior to suspension) or under an active MBA yellow rating. We are closely monitoring this situation and are committed to working with suppliers, fisheries, and environmental advocacy groups as it develops,” the statement continued.
Meal kit company HelloFresh was among other retailers that pledged to stop selling lobster back in September after California-based Seafood Watch placed American and Canadian lobster fisheries on its “red list” of seafoods to avoid.
I will not be at all surprised that two things are going to happen with regards to Seafood Watch and the Marine Stewardship Council. First, they will quietly tell Maine that the certifications can be restored as long as the proper cash tribute…donations are sent to them.
Second, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they aren’t hit with a massive lawsuit, especially Seafood Watch since they’re in the United States. On the plus side, perhaps prices for fresh lobster will go down. That will make SWMBO happy.
Thatisall
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~The Angry Webmaster~
Lobster Paella
Ingredients:
Directions:
Have ready a large bowl filled with ice water. Bring a large pot three-fourths full of water to a boil over high heat and add 1 Tbs. salt. Add the lobsters one at a time, headfirst. Cover and cook until the lobsters are red, about 7 minutes. Transfer the lobsters to the ice water and let cool completely. Reserve 4 cups (32 fl. oz./1 l) of the cooking liquid.
Separate the claws and tail from the bodies, reserving the bodies to make stock, if desired (see note above). Remove the meat from the knuckles, tails and claws. (You can leave the meat inside the claws, if you like, and use them to garnish the finished dish.) Keep the knuckle meat whole and cut the tail meat in half lengthwise. Transfer the lobster to a covered container and refrigerate immediately. The lobster can be refrigerated up to overnight.
In a large paella pan or a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in the rice, the reserved cooking liquid, the Pernod, saffron mixture and piquillo peppers. Season well with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the rice has absorbed nearly all of the liquid, about 20 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat. Nestle the lobster meat (and the whole claws, if using) in the rice, cover and let stand until the lobster is hot, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle the paella with the parsley and tarragon and serve immediately with lemon wedges alongside. Serves 6.