Paul LePage Sends Lobster To His Fellow Governors, Hopes To Boost Marketing Efforts

Nearly three weeks after he declared August lobster month, Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) has gone to serious lengths to take his message national.

The Portland Press Herald reported Monday that LePage is sending boxes of Maine lobster to all 49 other governors across the country.

"What better time than summer to share the iconic Maine lobster?” LePage said.

His marketing push comes at a time when lobster prices have been lagging. The Press-Herald report adds that while last year's lobster haul was a record 123 million pounds, the catch's value dropped to $331 million.

LePage's move comes almost ten days after he met with lobster processors to discuss ideas for how to boost the industry's economic impact. The Associated Press reported that among the business practices scrutinized was the decision to ship products to Canada to be processed.

“That’s what I would call a foolish business model,” John Hathaway, owner of Shucks Maine Lobster, told the AP. “What we need to do is add value and jobs here.”

An earlier August Bangor Daily News report cited LePage as blaming the state legislature for an anti-business backlog.

“The people who say we aren’t creating jobs are the same ones who are preventing it — the Legislature,” LePage told the paper.