Last week I described the problems facing the lobster industry in Maine right now. The gist of it is that although landings are up, a very high percentage of those are soft shelled or “shedders.” This coupled with a lack of processing facilities has led to a second year in a row of very low prices at the dock.

From talking with those in the lobster industry, it seems clear that we need to adapt to changing conditions and three things would stabilize the industry, all of which are based on the principle that lobstermen need to “fish for dollars, not lobsters.”

The first remedy is to increase the capacity to process lobsters locally. Maine is currently too reliant on Canadian processors, who are subsidized. This makes it hard for local processors to compete and Canadian processors can pay our lobstermen less than Canadian lobstermen for the same catch.

I have submitted legislation to strengthen the lobster-processing industry in Maine. It helps level the playing field for Maine lobster processors through incentives based on: creation and retention of good jobs; the number of Maine lobstermen supported; and innovation in developing new processed lobster products that have broad consumer appeal and can reach mass markets, both within Maine and across the country.

The second remedy is to adjust the season so that the catch includes a lower percentage of shedders. This is something that came up during a meeting of the Lobster Advisory Council.

This year the peak catch is just when we are landing shedders. It might not happen next year, but it will again soon due to steadily rising ocean temperatures. We need the flexibility to adjust the catch rate around when shedders start so that more are caught either before they lose their shells or a couple of months afterward to increase the percentage of more valuable hard shell lobsters. This will improve both the quality of the catch and the profit margin.

How we adjust the season and slow landings of shedders will be the greatest challenge.

Lobstermen need to help decide the best approach. However it is done, we have to maintain or improve operating costs for lobstermen in proportion to landings. Importantly, achieving this will have other benefits in addition to improving the quality of the catch. It will avoid an over-supply of shedders while providing a supply for more of the year, reducing peak staffing and capacity needed at processing plants, stabilizing their employment, and stabilizing prices. That’s good for the lobstermen and the processors.

The third remedy is to reach broader markets for lobster through strengthening the Maine lobster brand, and by investing in innovation in the lobster processing industry to develop products reaching mainstream Americans. This ties the two earlier pieces of the solution together. Right now lobster is seen as a treat that is reserved for special occasions, and not as easy to fix or eat as other foods. We have to undertake a marketing effort to show that processed lobster is an affordable, tasty, healthy quick meal that can be eaten any night of the week.

We also need to let everyone know Maine lobster is sustainably harvested. We can't trademark "Maine Lobster" but we can be certified for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) label, and may achieve that in early 2013. This is a certification of sustainability for which some restaurants and chefs will pay more. Then we can say that "if it doesn't have the MSC label, it isn't Maine lobster." Increasing markets and increasing demand for Maine lobster will contribute to stable boat prices as demand matches and exceeds supply.

We in the legislature recognize the importance of lobster in Maine, not just to the economy, but to a lot of working families, and the whole image of the state. Those I have spoken to on the Marine Resources Committee are counting on the participation of the lobster industry to work with us to make some of the important decisions wisely, design some flexibility and responsiveness into management practices which lead to stable prices, and making sure that operating costs remain proportional to landings so lobstermen in this and the next generation can continue to make a living. We are ready to do everything we can to deal with lobster industry problems, and work to make it a profitable and sustainable industry into the future.

Senator Christopher Johnson lives in Somerville, and represents Senate District 20.