BOSTON (AP) - The Massachusetts congressional delegation is joining its Maine counterparts in questioning a push by the Swedish government to declare American lobsters an invasive species.
Sweden wants the European Union to bar imports of live American lobsters into the 28-nation bloc, a response to the appearance of 32 American lobsters in Swedish waters.
Massachusetts’ delegation has sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and others saying the Swedish claim needs to be backed up with scientific evidence.
Massachusetts has the second-largest lobster fishery in the country, after Maine, whose congressional members expressed similar concerns last month. Both delegations say a ban on imports to Europe would hurt their states’ economy.
The U.S. State Department says the administration is working to ensure that U.S. lobster exports are not “unjustifiably restricted.”
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