After reading about the lobster industry crisis in the November issue of Working Waterfront, I decided to make a greater effort to purchase lobster more often. However, living in Maryland in the winter (and visiting Augusta and Vinalhaven other seasons), I soon realized that the lobsters that are available in our Maryland area are of uncertain origin. No one in the stores can really guarantee that the lobsters are from Maine waters. This situation just confirms to me that the answer (which I’m sure has been thought of before) would appear to be some sort of clip-on plastic tag on the critters that would guarantee the source, like the “Florida orange tree” once did for orange juice.
Phil Berneburg
Bethesda, Maryland
Editor’s note: It’s a great idea. According to Dane Somers, executive director of the Maine Lobster Promotion Council, it’s an idea that has already been tested. He said a design and tag has been developed that would identify Maine lobsters and could stay on the lobsters until they hit your plate. However, with over 5,600 independent lobstermen bringing lobsters into the numerous harbors and dealers along the coast, current tags are labeled based on the harbor or dealer. So a Maine lobster tag program has yet to be implemented.