SQUIDFRY 03.23.30: White Meat

WHITE MEAT… Squid is quite fond of lobster, but finds the steamed and boiled varieties consumed onshore to be overdone – not to mention absurdly overpriced for a bountiful bottom-dwelling snack. Regardless, Squid is amused by the escalating kerfuffle between Maine’s lobster lobby and our very own cathedral of marine life, the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Last year, the Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program placed the American lobster on its “red list” of seafood to avoid, citing the risk posed by fishing gear to endangered species like the North American right whale. (Squid generally does not care for whales for obvious reasons, though Squid can make an exception for benevolent baleen whales like Righty.)

The fishermen of Maine objected, and it has led to a deepening bicoastal feud: On March 13, a coalition of Maine lobster industry groups filed a defamation lawsuit against the Aquarium in U.S. District Court in Maine, accusing it of besmirching their industry’s good name on the back of allegedly bad science.

The folks at the Aquarium are standing by “the extensive evidence that these fisheries pose a serious risk” to Righty, and accusing the lobstermen of trying to curtail the Aquarium’s First Amendment rights.

What Squid wants to know is: When will calamari appear on everyone’s red list?

MONEY COUNTS… The town of Pajaro is empty at the moment, but the area has been host to lots of hustle and bustle lately. Not only are construction workers from contractor KW Emerson, doing 12-hour shifts, out repairing the broken levee 24/7, but politicians are thronging the place for photo ops.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, donning a classic popped collar, came to visit the mostly Latino, heavily farmworker community on March 15. Newsom spoke about how proud he was of serving the state that is doing the most for farmworkers, and he was eager to share that $42 million for farmworkers was headed this way – but it turned out to be a bit more than a rounding error. The $42 million Newsom boasted about was funding approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to distribute to farmworkers impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and is just finally making its way, in the form of $600 checks, to people who suffered economic hardship three years ago. Just $300,000 of that sum is destined for United Way Monterey County, one of many United Ways across the state to distribute funds. “It’s not fair to say that’s what’s available for farmworkers, because this is a new crisis,” says Antonio De Loera-Brust, communications director for United Farm Workers.

Fairness is one thing, but good PR is another. Squid doesn’t know whether or not Newsom will run for president, but Squid knows a pair of muddy boots probably helps the look.