American Lobster

This fishery has an MSC label. We do not rate certified fisheries according to the VISwijzer method. Therefore, these fisheries have a separate category on the VISwijzer and receive no rating of color.

Both in Canada and in the United States, several lobster fisheries are MSC Certified. There is a lot of fishing for American lobster in these two countries, but this fishery is not considered a threat to the lobster stock. Lobsters are sensitive to fishing pressure because they grow slowly and only become sexually mature at a later age.

All MSCMSC:
Marine Stewardship Council, an independent, international non-profit organization that has developed an eco-label that guarantees well-managed, sustainable fisheries. Fish products that meet the criteria of the eco-label can be identified by the blue MSC logo. American lobster is caught using potsPots/clay pots:
Clay pots are used in southern Europe to catch octopus. The animals crawl into the pots to use it as shelter, after which the fisherman collects the pots. This is a selective fishing method that does not damage the soil. and [traps]. This fishing technique is selective with little bycatches. Unwanted caught species can easily be released with a high survival rate. This fishing technique causes little damage to the environment.

Management of the lobster stock is largely effective.

Fish in season

Fish in season is the best quality at that time because the spawning period is over.

American lobster is heavily fished in the United States and Canada, but so far the species is not overfishedOverfished:
A stock is overfished when the stock size has decreased so far that it can no longer produce a maximum sustainable yield. The size of the fish populations is insufficient to reproduce in the long term. . Lobsters are sensitive to fishing pressure because they grow slowly and only become sexually mature at a later age. For this reason, this section is rated orange.

Lobsters are mainly caught with potsPots/clay pots:
Clay pots are used in southern Europe to catch octopus. The animals crawl into the pots to use it as shelter, after which the fisherman collects the pots. This is a selective fishing method that does not damage the soil. and [traps]. In the USA, fishing with this technique poses a great risk to northern right whales, which regularly become entangled in the lines of the pots. The status of the northern right whale is currently in such a critical state, that every lost northern right whale is one too many. For this reason, the ecosystem effects section is given a red score.

The management of the lobster stock is covered by the ASMFCASMFC:
The ASMFC is the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, an organization that focuses on the management of fish stocks along the Atlantic coast of the United States. and is largely effective. This section receives a green score.

The final assessment for this species is red. We therefore recommend avoiding eating American lobster from this fishery and opting for an alternative with a green or orange score.

Fish in season 

Fish is in season when the spawning period has ended, as the quality is then at its best.