This summer, New England U.S. senators announced their resolution for a National Lobster Day passed, to take place on September 25, 2015. Without an actual bill being signed, this resolution will only apply to this year, and subsequent years will need to have the same resolution passed.
June 15 is also National Lobster Day, but it coincides with the Canadian lobster season ending and the senators felt this would showcase the U.S. lobster since it is right in the middle of the Maine’s lobster harvest. And this date will bring the focus of U.S. Maine lobster nationwide, at least that is the intent. Matt Jacobson of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative is quoted to have said, “If we can get someone in Chicago to think about Maine lobster, then National Lobster Day is a success.” Nationally, more than 120 million pounds of lobster are caught each year in U.S. waters, representing one of the country’s most valuable catches.
The resolution was cosponsored by U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and five New England colleagues: Angus King (I-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), and Chris Murphy (D-CT).
From the White House: The “National Lobster Day” resolution is attached, and the full text is available below:
RESOLUTION
Designating September 25, 2015, as ‘‘National Lobster Day’’.
Whereas lobster from the United States is recognized around the world as a prized culinary delicacy;
Whereas lobster fishing has served as an economic engine and a family tradition in the United States for centuries;
Whereas thousands of families in the United States make their livelihoods from lobster fishing and processing;
Whereas more than 120,000,000 pounds of lobster are caught each year in waters of the United States, representing one of the Nation’s most valuable catches;
Whereas historical lore notes that lobster likely joined turkey on the table at the very first Thanksgiving Day feast in 1621;
Whereas responsible lobstering practices, beginning in the 1600s, have created one of the world’s most sustainable fisheries;
Whereas Lobster Newburg was featured on the menu at the inaugural dinner celebration for President John F. Kennedy;
Whereas lobsters are one of the most healthy and nutritious sources of protein;
Whereas the peak of the lobstering season in the United States occurs in the late summer;
Whereas lobster has become a culinary icon, with the lobster roll being featured at the 2015 World Food Expo in Milan, Italy;
Whereas lobster is featured on more and more restaurant menus, growing by 35 percent from 2009 to 2013; Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate—
(1) designates September 25, 2015, as ‘‘National Lobster Day’’; and
(2) encourages the people of the United States to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.