Maine’s venerable lobster shindig continues ’19 bug fest

ROCKLAND, Maine – Maine’s annual celebration of its most beloved crustacean is here, and it’s taking place amid a pivotal time in the industry’s history.

The Maine Lobster Festival takes place in Rockland. It got started Wednesday, continues Saturday and ends Sunday. The festival started in the late 1940s and is a salute to the kettle-bound critters, hundreds of which will be consumed over the course of the week.

Maine’s the biggest lobster fishing state in the U.S. by far. Catch has been high in recent years, but the industry is dealing with multiple stresses. One is the possibility of new protections to help save the endangered North Atlantic right whales.

The industry’s also facing a bait shortage, and trade hostilities with China have made it hard to deal with a key market for the seafood.