Lawmakers: End tax breaks for companies that pull lobster

Two lawmakers in Maine want to prohibit the state from offering tax breaks or contracts to companies that stop selling lobster after concerns were raised by sustainability organisations.

This year, the Marine Stewardship Council and Seafood Watch withdrew their endorsements of the U.S. lobster fishing industry, citing concerns about the risk of fishing gear to rare North Atlantic right whales. Some retailers, including supermarkets and meal kit companies, responded by pledging to pull lobster from their inventories.

Republicans Sen. Trey Stewart and Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham said on Tuesday that the proposed law would prohibit businesses from utilising the state's business equipment tax reimbursement or exemption programmes if they ban, boycott, or restrict the sale of a legally harvested Maine product due to third-party certification. Additionally, the proposal would prohibit the state from entering into any contracts with the companies.

Faulkingham, who is also a commercial lobsterman, stated, "To preserve the ability of lobster fishing families to earn a living, conserve the resource, and create jobs for tens of thousands of Mainers, it will take all of us standing together, along with many others throughout Maine."

Maine is by far the most significant state for lobster fishing in the United States. The legislators specifically referenced the changes announced by Whole Foods, the natural foods behemoth with hundreds of locations across the country, including one in Portland, Maine. The company announced last month that it would cease selling Gulf of Maine lobster.

Wednesday, it was unclear whether Whole Foods receives any of the tax incentives in Maine that would be altered by the proposal. A company representative did not respond immediately to a request for comment. In a statement released in November, the company stated that "third-party verifications and ratings are essential to maintaining the integrity of our standards for all wild-caught seafood found in our seafood department."

There are approximately 340 right whales in the world, and they are susceptible to injury or death from becoming entangled in fishing rope. Another major threat to the mammals is collision with large ships.

Members of the conservation organisation Oceana, who advocate for stricter regulations for lobster fishermen and shippers, stated on Tuesday that the whales are especially vulnerable during calving season and that the federal government must move swiftly to implement new regulations.

Oceana campaign director Gib Brogan stated, "We are sounding the alarm for our government to establish immediate protections for North Atlantic right whales during the calving season."

Sources:- https://apnews.com/article/business-maine-portland-wildlife-whales-cf0301bbe7e724abf9be0cd7b673680d