Maine Lobster Festival Sued by PETA for Steaming Lobsters Alive

For Immediate Release:
July 24, 2025

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Today, PETA filed a lawsuit against the Maine Lobster Festival and the City of Rockland in Knox County Superior Court over the city-endorsed event’s egregiously cruel method of steaming thousands of lobsters alive in what PETA contends is a violation of Maine law prohibiting the torture and torment of animals. The lawsuit, brought on behalf of PETA’s local members, asks the court to declare the festival a public nuisance—given that it occupies Harbor Park for two weeks each year and makes an unavoidable spectacle out of cruelty to animals—and to issue a permanent injunction prohibiting the steaming of live lobsters on public lands.

PETA’s lawsuit points to the overwhelming scientific consensus that lobsters are sentient beings and therefore entitled to protection under Maine law, which requires that any method used to kill a “sentient creature” must cause “instantaneous death.” The filing notes that chilling lobsters prior to steaming them—a pointless practice promoted on the festival’s website—only temporarily inhibits the lobster’s motor function, fails to render them unconscious, and ultimately prolongs their suffering as they’re slowly cooked alive.

The lawsuit asserts that the festival prevents members of the public from accessing and enjoying Harbor Park, the shoreline, and other nearby areas owned and controlled by the city without being forced to witness extreme animal suffering as approximately 16,000 live lobsters are illegally tormented and killed at the festival each year.

“By openly cooking thousands of thinking, feeling animals alive, the Maine Lobster Festival is effectively turning public land into a venue for municipally supported cruelty,” says PETA Foundation Director of Litigation Asher Smith. “PETA is pushing to end these horrific displays and restore compassionate Rockland residents’ ability to enjoy Harbor Park year-round.”

In nature, lobsters explore their surroundings, remember other individual lobsters, use complex signals to establish social relationships, and can live to be more than 100 years old. Research shows that they possess sophisticated nervous systems made up of ganglia spread throughout their bodies, meaning their deaths can be prolonged and agonizing.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. PETA’s free vegan starter kit is filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.