The Seafood News
Why Weathervane Is a Member of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative
Did you know Weathervane Seafood Restaurants is a member of a special coalition of Maine lobster harvesters, dealers and processors whose sole mission is to promote New England’s most beloved crustaceans?
As a long time supporter of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative, which prior to 2013 was known as the Maine Lobster Council, Weathervane is proud to champion the continual promotion of Maine lobster. We do this for various reasons. Not only is it one of our most popular menu items—we go through nearly 250,000-pounds of it every year—but we’re also known to ship lobsters all over the country. Most importantly, we strongly believe in supporting the local economy through advocating for fishermen, harvesters and retailers.
Here are a few details if you’re unfamiliar with the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative:
- Founded in 1991
- Funded by Maine lobster harvesters, dealers and processors
- Its mission is “to provide professional support, guidance and leadership for members of the Maine Lobster industry in the areas of marketing, advertising, public relations and promotional efforts to assist in developing long-term market value and economic stability for the industry.”
- The Collaborative is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of representatives from the harvester and dealer sectors as well as public members
Longtime Weathervane employee Jim Collins said the collaborative was created as a result of tough times within the lobster industry. Collins, who has worked for Weathervane for more than 28 years, said the industry at the time was going through a glut—meaning there wasn’t enough market demand available to handle the amount of lobster being brought off the boats. Supply was outweighing demand and lobstermen were feeling it.
In addition, consistently volatile market prices, mixed with increases in fuel costs and other operating expenses, led many within the industry to realize that a unified effort to expand the lobster market outside of New England would help. Since then, Collins said the model has worked well.
“We needed to expand outside our New England base,” he said. “That’s been extremely successful. Maine lobster is now a global entity.”
Today, the organization continues to promote lobster internationally in an effort to stabilize prices, as well as educate consumers on the value of the product.
Weathervane’s Role
As one of hundreds of members of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative, Weathervane contributes to the ongoing mission through membership dues and participation in fundraising efforts.
“We show our support to help them succeed in generating the funds necessary to get out there and spread the word,” said Collins.
There are also benefits of being a member—aside from the reassurance a national market brings and the support of a marketing committee tasked with assuring Lobsters don’t go out of style. Recently, members of the Weathervane leadership team attended a special reception held as part of the Seafood Expo North America in Boston. In addition to networking with other members of the Collaborative, Weathervane leaders also got a chance to meet with Maine Governor Paul LePage, who according to this statement from 2013 is also a strong supporter of the Collaborative, as well as the the lobster industry itself.
“Maine Lobster is an iconic American product that has a long history of feeding seafood lovers around the world while fueling Maine’s coastal economy,” said LePage. “Maine’s lobster industry has a rich tradition of independent fisherman dedicated to sustainably harvesting this deliciously sweet seafood. We are confident that our industry’s cooperative marketing investment and direct involvement on the new MLMC board from lobstermen, dealers and processors will help drive up profitable demand for branded Maine Lobster and further strengthen the overall Maine economy.”
At Weathervane, our dedication to locally sourced seafood is second to none. Be sure to stop by one of our many restaurant locations throughout ME and NH and check out the lobster section of our menu to see the various ways we offer Maine lobster.
