Businesses Stop Selling Lobster Because of Whale Concerns

Businesses Stop Selling Lobster¹ Because of Whale Concerns

Some American businesses have stopped selling lobster because of concerns that fishing methods could harm endangered whales. Several food companies announced they had removed lobster offerings to the public.

The removals came after a conservation group said it had added the American and Canadian lobster fisheries to its "red list." It is a list of species to avoid when buying seafood². The organization that makes the list is called Seafood Watch. It is based at the Monterey Bay Aquarium³ in northern California.

Seafood Watch said in a new report that the fishing industry is a danger to North Atlantic right whales. The whales can suffer injury or death when they become trapped in equipment that connects lobster traps to the ocean floor.

The organization's report said that "current management measures do not go far enough" to prevent such risks and to support efforts to save the whale species.

Thousands of businesses use Seafood Watch's guidelines to make buying decisions. Many have already promised to avoid any products that appear on the red list. A spokesperson for Blue Apron⁴, a New York-based food seller, said the company had already stopped offering a seasonal⁵ lobster box before the report came out. The company said all the seafood it currently uses follows Seafood Watch's guidelines.

German meal kit⁶ seller HelloFresh also promised shortly after the announcement to stop selling lobster. In a statement, a spokesperson said the company is committed to following the Seafood Watch guidelines.

Seafood Watch rates more than 2,000 seafood products as "best choice," "good alternative" and "avoid." The ratings are based on how sustainably the products are harvested or fished.

The organization's guidelines have been influential⁷ in the past. It red-listed shrimp⁸ fishing operations in the southern state of Louisiana. That action led to increased conservation efforts to better protect sea turtles. The fishery was later removed from the red list.

The lobster fishing industry has been under pressure from Seafood Watch in recent years because of the threat of entanglement¹⁰ in fishing equipment. Experts say there are fewer than 340 North Atlantic right whales. Entanglement is one of the two biggest threats they face, scientists and conservation groups say. Another threat is the danger of crashes with ships.

The population of the giant animals was greatly harmed by intensive whaling generations ago. Whale numbers have also decreased in recent years.

Members of the lobster fishing industry disagreed with the Seafood Watch rating. The director of the Maine Lobstermen's Association, Patrice McCarron, told The Associated Press that no interaction between the lobster industry and right whales had been recorded in the northeastern state in nearly 20 years.

"Lobster is one of the most sustainable fisheries in the world due to the effective stewardship¹¹ practices handed down through generations of lobstermen," McCarron said. She added that this has included strong protections "for both the lobster resource and right whales."

American and Canadian lobster fishermen target the same species, the American lobster. This species is popular as live seafood and is also used in processed products such as lobster rolls and lobster ravioli.

A large majority of the world's American lobster is harvested in New England and eastern Canada. The sea creatures are important parts of the economy and the cultural history of those areas.

Words in This Story

conservation – n. the protection of animals, plants, and natural resources

species – n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants

manage – v. to do something or deal with something successfully

kit –n. a group of parts that can be put together to make something

alternative – n. one of two or more things that you can choose between

sustainable – adj. involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources

entangle⁹ – v. cause to become twisted together

stewardship – n. the way in which a person controls or organizes something

1 lobster   

n.龙虾，龙虾肉

参考例句：

• The lobster is a shellfish.龙虾是水生贝壳动物。
• I like lobster but it does not like me.我喜欢吃龙虾，但它不适宜于我的健康。

2 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

3 aquarium   

n.水族馆，养鱼池，玻璃缸

参考例句：

• The first time I saw seals was in an aquarium.我第一次看见海豹是在水族馆里。
• I'm going to the aquarium with my parents this Sunday.这个星期天，我要和父母一起到水族馆去。

4 apron   

n.围裙；工作裙

参考例句：

• We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
• She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。

5 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

6 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

7 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

8 shrimp   

n.虾，小虾；矮小的人

参考例句：

• When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream.一旦养虾场建起来，将会截断这条河流。
• When it comes to seafood,I like shrimp the best.说到海鲜，我最喜欢虾。

9 entangle   

vt.缠住，套住；卷入，连累

参考例句：

• How did Alice manage to entangle her hair so badly in the brambles?爱丽丝是怎么把头发死死地缠在荆棘上的？
• Don't entangle the fishing lines.不要让钓鱼线缠在一起。

10 entanglement   

n.纠缠，牵累

参考例句：

• This entanglement made Carrie anxious for a change of some sort.这种纠葛弄得嘉莉急于改变一下。
• There is some uncertainty about this entanglement with the city treasurer which you say exists.对于你所说的与市财政局长之间的纠葛,大家有些疑惑。

11 stewardship   

n. n. 管理工作；管事人的职位及职责

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Last, but certainly not least, are the issues of stewardship and ethics. 最后，但当然不是微不足道的，是工作和道德规范的问题。