Maine officials lambast Biden for serving lobster at state dinner while trying to regulate industry

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/biden-state-dinner-serves-lobster-la-controversy-rcna59639

The lobster featured on the menu of Thursday’s state dinner comes with caviar, squash ravioli — and a heaping side of controversy.

Maine officials would typically be thrilled to have their state’s most famous export featured at such a high-profile White House event. Instead, they’re turning red and boiling with anger at what they feel is a shellfish decision by the White House to serve lobster while pushing federal regulations that they say could kill the industry. [

......


The crustacean frustration is virtually unanimous among Maine politicians, who have come together to fight what they see as an existential threat to one of the state’s biggest industries and most iconic cultural touchstones.

"This is an issue that our federal delegation and state lawmakers, regardless of political party or ideology, are united on," said Genevieve McDonald, a Maine lobster boat captain who served two terms as a Democrat in the State House representing a group of island communities. "It's not just our economy, it's our cultural identity and our sense of place."


The lobster industry is feeling the pinch as concerns about lobstering’s impact on the endangered right whale, whose population is estimated to be below 370, have prompted new federal regulation and calls for boycotts.

https://twitter.com/repgolden/status/1598108342396026880?s=43&t=fUEXjIuftizi...

https://twitter.com/GovJanetMills/status/1598340110487277569

https://twitter.com/SenatorCollins/status/1598110185876135937

[Bakersfield Uber Alles]

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/biden-state-dinner-serves-lobster-la-controversy-rcna59639

The crustacean frustration is virtually unanimous among Maine politicians, who have come together to fight what they see as an existential threat to one of the state’s biggest industries and most iconic cultural touchstones.

Someone had fun with that!

Does seem like it’s in poor taste to have lobster in this case.

[Mr. Matt]

Jared Golden == Frank Grimes confirmed

("I don't need safety gloves because I'm Bruce Pol--" zzzzzzap!)

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

I'll bet that dastardly Biden served fancy mustard, too!

[Spectator]

This is why Golden is consistently tough to beat despite representing the reddest or second reddest seat in the country held by a Democrat.

Biden should probably take note that this is in poor taste.

[progressive85]

Jared Golden is representing the interests of the district, as he should.  They voted him in three times in a row - and it's a swing seat Democrats need.

I think it would serve everyone well if Joe, along with federal regulators, visited the Maine coast to meet with the fishermen, and then decided on what the regulation should be.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Lobster for me, not for thee.

[Badger]

In fairness to Biden for those criticizing him about bad taste, I pretty much guarantee you that any food served at any dinner is going to be subject to some level of Federal Regulation which the producers of that product deem overreaching and overburdensome. A steak dinner? I'm sure Cattlemen could and would complain about Federal Land Management policies affecting their ranching. Any vegetables or other produce from California or the west? Darn Federal water policy sure does make it hard to properly irrigate our crops president biden!

I get where these main lobster men are coming from. But in further fairness to Biden I'll bet you three to one odds or better that he, and indeed probably most presidents in that situation, aren't aware of their administration's own changed policies restricting fishing or lobstering due to environmental concerns, where such regulations have probably been imposed by a mid-level functionary at the Department of Agriculture

[Orwell]

These are just politicians representing a small but extremely relevant constituency

[It’s so Joever]

In two weeks nobody will remember this outside of Maine. Meanwhile Maine fisherman will remember Golden as the guy who “stood up for them”. If anything Biden probably is more than happy with these “attacks”.

[Santander]

This is an understandable reaction from fishermen and Maine politicians, but as Badger said, there is literally no meal the White House could serve that would not attract some criticism from some interest group that feels slighted by government regulations. Nobody will care about this in a week.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Wasting it on Macron and his cronies is the real crime here.

[President Johnson]

This is an understandable reaction from fishermen and Maine politicians, but as Badger said, there is literally no meal the White House could serve that would not attract some criticism from some interest group that feels slighted by government regulations. Nobody will care about this in a week.

"Just get over to McDonald's and back to the negotiating table", a former resident of the White House famously said.

[NYDem]

Who the hell cares?

[dead0man]

it's interesting that not one of us tried to discus the merits (or lack there of) of the regulations.


If what the lobstermen say is true, that no right whales have ever been caught in Maine lobster trap paraphernalia, then they have every right in the world to be pissed at POTUS/the feds for trying to put them out of business for no good reason.

I was under the impression redavs were for the workers?  But not if govt regulation is involved (It's always good! More is better!  Save the whales!) and it embarrasses our political leaders?

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

it's interesting that not one of us tried to discus the merits (or lack there of) of the regulations.


If what the lobstermen say is true, that no right whales have ever been caught in Maine lobster trap paraphernalia, then they have every right in the world to be pissed at POTUS/the feds for trying to put them out of business for no good reason.

I was under the impression redavs were for the workers?  But not if govt regulation is involved (It's always good! More is better!  Save the whales!) and it embarrasses our political leaders?

The issue is that when whales get caught in nets, they escape but are often injured so die soon after from their injuries. Or they remain tangled past their bloat stage so they just sink to the ocean floor.

[MR DARK BRANDON]

OMG truly the biggest scandal in presidential history

[Alben Barkley]

What's next, did he serve Dijon mustard and wear a tan suit as well?

[Badger]

it's interesting that not one of us tried to discus the merits (or lack there of) of the regulations.


If what the lobstermen say is true, that no right whales have ever been caught in Maine lobster trap paraphernalia, then they have every right in the world to be pissed at POTUS/the feds for trying to put them out of business for no good reason.

I was under the impression redavs were for the workers?  But not if govt regulation is involved (It's always good! More is better!  Save the whales!) and it embarrasses our political leaders?

The issue is that when whales get caught in nets, they escape but are often injured so die soon after from their injuries. Or they remain tangled past their bloat stage so they just sink to the ocean floor.

Not to mention that sometimes application of federal Environmental laws are used as a chess game for an ulterior motive. For example, the litigation in the 90s about preserving the habitats of spotted owls in Oregon and Washington State Forest was pushed by environmentalist not nearly so much as to actually save the spot it out, which they supported nonetheless, but rather so that it could slow the then ramp it harvesting of old growth forests in the region. Strategy which was remarkably and commendably effective.

I have no firm basis for this, but I wonder if these regulations trying to preserve Wales was done in large part as an end run to require stricter limitations on overfishing of lobsters?

[dead0man]

it's interesting that not one of us tried to discus the merits (or lack there of) of the regulations.


If what the lobstermen say is true, that no right whales have ever been caught in Maine lobster trap paraphernalia, then they have every right in the world to be pissed at POTUS/the feds for trying to put them out of business for no good reason.

I was under the impression redavs were for the workers?  But not if govt regulation is involved (It's always good! More is better!  Save the whales!) and it embarrasses our political leaders?

The issue is that when whales get caught in nets, they escape but are often injured so die soon after from their injuries. Or they remain tangled past their bloat stage so they just sink to the ocean floor.

I don't think commercial lobster fishermen use nets.  They have traps that lay on the ocean floor.  In theory, it's the ropes they use to retrieve them that are the problem for right whales.  The lobstermen say this doesn't happen.

[Orwell]

Line every Democrat against the wall!!!!

[Hermit For Peace]

Lobster for me, not for thee.

Or in the case of some of us, lobster for thee but not for me, thank you very much.

[Joe Republic]

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1598680454386929664?s=20&t=fD1zLL_fEFS1cr...

[President Johnson]

OMG truly the biggest scandal in presidential history

* second biggest.

Let's not forget the tan suit.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

it's interesting that not one of us tried to discus the merits (or lack there of) of the regulations.


If what the lobstermen say is true, that no right whales have ever been caught in Maine lobster trap paraphernalia, then they have every right in the world to be pissed at POTUS/the feds for trying to put them out of business for no good reason.

I was under the impression redavs were for the workers?  But not if govt regulation is involved (It's always good! More is better!  Save the whales!) and it embarrasses our political leaders?

The issue is that when whales get caught in nets, they escape but are often injured so die soon after from their injuries. Or they remain tangled past their bloat stage so they just sink to the ocean floor.

I don't think commercial lobster fishermen use nets.  They have traps that lay on the ocean floor.  In theory, it's the ropes they use to retrieve them that are the problem for right whales.  The lobstermen say this doesn't happen.

Making it about right whales in particular is a little surprising, but there was a Massachusetts state-level regulation against a specific type of crab trap promulgated last year that cited concern about terrapins (a small semiaquatic turtle species), so this isn't unheard-of for Gulf of Maine fisheries policy in general. My question would be if there are any alternative means that the lobstermen have for trapping them (there are plenty of alternative means for the crabs that are still allowed). I'm inclined to believe them if they say there aren't, but on the other hand, watermen can get ornery about these things.