Gloucester Times: Moulton Goes to Bat for Local Lobster Industry

By: Sean Horgan, Staff Writer\

A trio of Massachusetts congressmen, including U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, are pressing the Obama administration to stand up for Massachusetts lobstermen and lobster dealers in the international trade tiff with Sweden.

Moulton, joined by U.S. Reps. William R. Keating and Stephen F. Lynch, organized the state congressional delegation in writing a letter that expresses ‘deep concern’ about the Swedish government's efforts to characterize the American lobster as an invasive species and potentially halt the importation of the crustaceans into the 28-nation European Union (EU).

Sweden, an EU member, is petitioning the European Commission to add American lobsters to its list of invasive species, which could lead to a ban on importing American lobsters into any of the European union nations.

"The EU, one of the largest markets for American lobster, accounts for one-fifth of all United States lobster imports," the delegation wrote in its letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, NOAA Administration Kathryn Sullivan, and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. "A permanent ban on the importation of American lobster to the EU could have devastating consequences for the Massachusetts lobster industry and the New England maritime economy."\

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