Blue-collar lobstermen sue environmental group for defamation: 'The harm is intentional' - Fox News

Last year, the group — which has commitments from companies like Blue Apron, Cheesecake Factory, Hello Fresh and Whole Foods — downgraded Maine lobster from "good alternative" to "avoid," citing risks the state's fishery poses to endangered North Atlantic right whales.

"There is no science-based analysis that supports the red listing and the impact is really dramatic, not only on the 5,000 fishing families that earn a living from lobstering, but it has a reverberating effect throughout the economy of Maine," Lipson continued.

In November, shortly after Seafood Watch altered its ratings for lobster caught in the Gulf of Maine, commercial buyers including Whole Foods stopped purchasing the product.

I work hard to support my family and depend on a healthy ocean for my livelihood," said Gerry Cushman, the owner of Maine-based small business Bug Catcher Inc. and a plaintiff in the lawsuit filed against the Monterey Bay Aquarium this week.

John Petersdorf, the CEO of Bean Maine Lobster Inc., said the lawsuit would help eradicate the "damage done by folks who have no clue about the care taken by lobstermen to protect the ecosystem and the ocean."

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation, though, blasted the lawsuit as "meritless" and said there was evidence lobster fishing equipment posed risks to right whales.