Tag Archives: American and Canadian scientists

Sweden digs in on proposal to ban live American lobsters from Europe

10-lobsters1Sweden is digging in on a proposal to ban imports of live lobsters into the European Union after a rebuke from American scientists, and the issue could go all the way to the World Trade Organization. Sweden asked the European Union to bar imports of live American lobsters into the bloc earlier this year after 32 American lobsters were found in Swedish waters. The U.S. government then told the European Commission that the proposal isn’t supported by science, and American and Canadian scientists issued reports calling the Swedish claim into question. Lobstermen in America and Canada, which together export $200 million worth of lobster to European markets each year, are hopeful that Sweden’s call for a ban eventually amounts to nothing. “I haven’t taken my Swedish engine out of my boat yet,” said Gerry Cushman, a Port Clyde lobsterman. “I’d like to see lobsters stay open throughout the world everywhere.” 11:25