At Luke's Lobster, we work to preserve and strengthen our coastal communities and bring you the world's best-tasting, sustainably sourced seafood for generations to come.

While there are no laws that exclude industry outsiders from getting their lobster license, the only way to become a commercial lobsterman is to wait on a decades-long wait list or complete a student lobster license program. In 2022 we launched the Lift All Boats project; a student lobster mentorship program in Portland, Maine. Lift All Boats guides local students through their required lobster licensing hours and gives them access to the gear, knowledge and mentorship from lobstermen and industry professionals that they need to complete their student lobster license—resources typically only available to families of current lobstermen. 

Since its first day, Luke’s Lobster has been committed to only serving sustainable seafood, and has advocated for transparency in the food chain so that consumers know what they’re eating, who harvested it by what methods, and how it was handled from farm or dock to plate. Our commitment to sustainable ingredients has only grown, but we are now also committed to improving the other environmental impacts of our industry. 

We’ve switched to buying 100% renewable energy, supported solar installations in Maine, and made aggressive efficiency improvements in our production facility as we completed our first carbon footprint assessment, which you can read more about here. We are also working directly with fishermen, wharf operators, and other seafood processors on their own efficiency projects and footprint reductions. We’re tackling waste reduction in our shacks by reducing dependence on single use items and sourcing more environmentally friendly options.

The mission of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion department is to instill a culture of community, where everyone is valued for their differences and is encouraged to bring their authentic self and their varied perspectives to work. The mission is to promote this culture throughout our organization, which will help foster an inclusive and representative environment for all our stakeholders: teammates, guests, suppliers, and partners. 

Our DEI Committee meets monthly to discuss various initiatives within the company, and give employees a safe and welcoming space to discuss a wide range of topics.

Luke’s Lobster is committed to supporting coastal communities at home in Maine as well as our communities in cities throughout our shack footprint. We consistently engage with and advocate for our stakeholders across Maine’s coasts, from 6th generation fishing families to first generation immigrants who are the backbone of Maine’s seafood production industry. Luke’s is committed to equity in our food systems. We’re tackling inequities in food access by building a network of free fridges across our shack footprint in communities that lack access to healthy food. And we’re working to remove structural barriers for traditionally marginalized groups in the food industry through internships and student lobstering programs for historically disadvantaged youth, and a preferred purchasing policy that supports BIPOC and women entrepreneurs by sourcing things like cornmeal from a Somali immigrant coop farm, beers from Black-owned breweries, desserts from Black women-owned bakeries, and more. 

Island Institute Partnership

As part of our mission, we’ve partnered with the Island Institute to work on a wide array of issues facing Maine’s coastal communities and build new markets for Maine’s premium seafood that will drive economic activity in coastal communities.

Through this partnership we've helped to build resiliency in the seafood supply chain and provide opportunities for Maine’s fishermen and aquaculturists. This joint endeavor is a continuation of a longstanding collaboration; for years, Luke’s and Island Institute have worked to strengthen Maine’s coastal economies, partnering with fishermen and community leaders to improve resilience along the shore.

The Island Institute has been working since 1983 to sustain Maine’s island and coastal communities, fostering exchange of ideas and experiences to further the sustainability of the coast. They’ve been a long-time partner for Luke’s, first on kelp aquaculture research, then on efforts to decarbonize Maine’s marine sector, and culminating in a partnership to grow Luke’s Online Market to bring a diverse range of sustainable Maine species to doorsteps around the country when fisheries needed a jolt of relief and resiliency to survive the Covid-19 pandemic. They continue to be a partner in looking to the future of our coastal economies and environment and helping innovate paths to success for all.

Maine Coast Fishermen's Association

The Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association works to enhance the sustainability of Maine’s fisheries by advocating for the needs of community-based fishermen and the environmental restoration of the Gulf of Maine. Luke’s frequently partners with MCFA on initiatives to promote underutilized fish caught sustainably in the Gulf of Maine, as alternatives to more popular species that are often overfished, or caught overseas in areas where illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is rampant. Luke’s also partners with MCFA’s Fishermen Feeding Mainers program that buys underutilized fish and donates it to food insecure communities.