Commonwealth of Massachusetts
A Proclamation
His Excellency Governor Deval L. Patrick
Whereas Lobster fishing is the Commonwealth’s oldest continuous industry; and
Whereas In 2011, more than 13.7 million pounds of lobster were landed in Massachusetts by commercial fishermen; and
Whereas There are approximately 50 ports in Massachusetts that have commercial lobster trap fishermen. Our lobster trap fishery is conducted by individual, small, owner-operated businesses rather than large corporations; and
Whereas Massachusetts-based lobster dealers are one of the leading chief suppliers of the American Lobster to the world market; and
Whereas The beginning of October is when the yearly supply of Commonwealth-caught lobsters are at their most abundant; and
Whereas For generations, the lobster has provided a source of food, jobs and economic activity, and a way of life that dates back to the Native Americans and the first European settlers,
Now, Therefore, I, Deval L. Patrick, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, do hereby proclaim October 6th, 2012 to be,
LOBSTER DAY
And urge all the citizens of the Commonwealth to take cognizance of this event and participate fittingly in its observance.
Given at the Executive Chamber in Boston, this seventeenth day of October, in the year two thousand and twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America, the two hundred and thirty-sixth.
By His Excellency
Deval L. Patrick
Governor of the Commonwealth
William Francis Galvin
Secretary of the Commonwealth
God Save the Commonwealth of Massachusetts