BOSTON — You’ve heard of Alaska King Crab and Maine Lobster. Why not Massachusetts Mackerel or Cape Cod Cod?
States are increasingly looking to hook consumers by branding their local seafood specialties, both to help reel in revenue and to give a boost to commercial fishermen struggling with declining stocks and tighter regulations.
In Louisiana, officials are creating a top-of-the-catch program for shrimp and oysters. Rhode Island is distributing logo-emblazoned quahog carriers.
And in Massachusetts, where a carving of the state’s “Sacred Cod” hangs in the House chambers, lawmakers are weighing whether to create a branding program that “embraces the historic roots of fishing in the commonwealth.” A hearing is scheduled on the bill today.
The Maine Lobster Promotion Council distributes “Certified Maine Lobster” tags to lobstermen to guarantee people shelling out big bucks for Maine lobster in restaurants across the country aren’t being served “impostor lobsters” from other states or Canada.
The Associated Press
