Maine lobstermen will soon have access to loan, marketing and insurance programs previously available only to farmers and other food producers through the newly created Office of Seafood in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The new office, announced by Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins in late April, officially recognizes fishermen and aquaculture producers as essential food providers. The new Office of Seafood in the U.S. Department of Agriculture recognizes that fishermen provide...

Forty years ago, the first pint of Geary Brewing Company’s Original Pale Ale was poured at Three Dollar Deweys in Portland. The company made history that year as the state’s first craft brewery and the 13th licensed in the country post Prohibition. Today, Original Pale Ale still bears its distinct lobster logo and remains the industry standard. To celebrate this anniversary, Geary’s is turning that symbol into action through a partnership with the Maine Lobster Community Alliance (MLCA). A...

New lobster enforcement unit in N.B. New Brunswick has joined Nova Scotia in creating a provincial lobster enforcement unit, meant to recoup money both governments say is being lost to illegal lobster landings. The Nova Scotia government has said up to 30% of annual lobster landings in the Atlantic region go unreported. For Nova Scotia that could mean a loss of about $400 million in tax revenue. In New Brunswick, the estimate is more like $5 to $7 million lost to illegal lobster landings....