🦞Consider the lobster roll

Also: Massachusetts' booming life sciences sector's lingering problem; a right-wing "reckoning" [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  May 31, 2023 ☀️ Sunny, with some haze and a high near 80. Good Morning Boston, As [yesterday's smokey haze from Canadian wildfires]( clears up, get ready for [temperatures to zoom back up into the 80s]( over the next three days. Tomorrow and Friday may even crack 90. It's perfect weather for a lobster roll. But this season, some seafood aficionados may find the iconic summertime treat lacking in local flavor. - Do you know where your lobster roll came from? For the next few months, it probably won't be a crustacean that was crawling around our own coast. WBUR's Yasmin Amer reports there's less local catch on the market right now, meaning most lobster will be imported. - Why it matters: For consumers, the situation means a "fresh" lobster roll may be hard to come by until around July. Until then, it will mostly be frozen, processed lobster meat imported from Canada, according to Beth Casoni, the head of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association. - The reason for the shortage: Local lobstermen are coming off [a three-month fishing ban]( in large swaths of water off Massachusetts, which was imposed to protect endangered right whales that were in the area. Casoni told Amer the timing of the ban made it more like a "five-month closure." That's because high seas have largely prevented lobstermen from bringing their catch ashore since the ban lifted on May 8. And in June, lobsters begin their [molting]( season and are not out and about in the water. - Don't blame the whales for the hole in your wallet. Casoni says imported lobster rolls actually cost about the same price as fresh local stuff (around $20 to $40 depending on the size). [According to Maine Public]( pandemic-era consumer habits are the main reason $30 lobster rolls have become commonplace. - Rough seas ahead: High demand is good for local lobstermen, but the industry sees other big challenges on the horizon — from [warming waters]( to [the loss of sustainability certifications]( to [federal rules to protect right whales](. - Willing to go the extra mile for fresh? [This website]( shows where you can purchase locally harvested lobster in Massachusetts. - Heads up, Airbnb hosts: Today is the last day that Airbnb hosts in Massachusetts can sign up for [a new pilot program]( offering $2,000 for heat pump installations, among other home energy efficiency upgrades. Airbnb is also offering $500 for air sealing and insulation. - The company-backed offer — only available in the Bay State — is on top of [the state-sponsored MassSave rebates]( that residents can get for retrofitting their homes. There are [also federal incentives]( that can be lumped on to help as well. - How to apply: Register by [filling out a brief eligibility survey](. (Your rental listing must also be served by either National Grid or Eversource.) - Go deeper: Here are [six things to know about heat pumps](. - Massachusetts is in line to get $110 million from the Purdue Pharma-Sackler bankruptcy deal, after a federal appeals court in New York [cleared the way for the nationwide agreement yesterday](. - Where will the money go? Massachusetts created a trust fund for opioid settlement payments, which will funnel the money toward efforts to address the drug overdose crisis. - Zoom in: [Read this piece from WBUR's Martha Bebinger]( for closer look at the types of programs the money supports. - People who want to run for Boston City Council now officially have more time to file their nomination papers. Gov. Maura Healey signed a home rule petition Tuesday allowing for a one-time extension of the filing deadline, after a federal judge [forced Boston to scramble to redraw its new City Council district map](. The new deadline is June 23. - Heads up: The Ted Williams Tunnel will be [closed again tonight from midnight until 5 a.m. for paving work](. Plan accordingly if you have any late-night or early-morning airport trips ahead. P.S.— If the warm weather has you planning a trip to the beach, make sure to [sign up for our just-relaunched seasonal newsletter Beach Books](. Our weekly summer reading recommendations will hit inboxes this afternoon — and you can check out all of last year's book recommendations [right here](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Report: Mass. life sciences sector has lots of jobs, but not enough workers to fill them]( Massachusetts remains a major life sciences hub, as industry job growth in the state outpaces the rest of the U.S., according to a new report released by the Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation. One challenge will be meeting the demand for workers. [Read more.]( [Report: Mass. life sciences sector has lots of jobs, but not enough workers to fill them]( Massachusetts remains a major life sciences hub, as industry job growth in the state outpaces the rest of the U.S., according to a new report released by the Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation. One challenge will be meeting the demand for workers. [Read more.]( [Far-right members threaten a 'reckoning' over McCarthy's debt limit deal]( McCarthy, who struck a compromise deal to avoid a debt default, faces criticism from members of his own conference and a potential threat that could oust him as speaker. He says his job is secure. [Read more.]( [Far-right members threaten a 'reckoning' over McCarthy's debt limit deal]( McCarthy, who struck a compromise deal to avoid a debt default, faces criticism from members of his own conference and a potential threat that could oust him as speaker. He says his job is secure. [Read more.]( [MBTA Transit Police investigating death on Green Line]( As a northbound trolley was departing on its way to the Medford/Tufts station, the man kicked its side and “lost his balance and fell under the trolley as it was in motion,” transit police said. [Read more.]( [MBTA Transit Police investigating death on Green Line]( As a northbound trolley was departing on its way to the Medford/Tufts station, the man kicked its side and “lost his balance and fell under the trolley as it was in motion,” transit police said. [Read more.]( [Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia, her family says]( The announcement comes less than four months after former President Jimmy Carter entered hospice care at the couple's home in Plains, Ga., following several stints in and out of the hospital. [Read more.]( [Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia, her family says]( The announcement comes less than four months after former President Jimmy Carter entered hospice care at the couple's home in Plains, Ga., following several stints in and out of the hospital. [Read more.]( [Federal regulators demand new MBTA employee safety plan]( The FTA warned that if the MBTA fails to "appropriately revise" its insufficient work plan and comply with other requirements that federal safety officials outlined, the T will be prohibited from right-of-way access. [Read more.]( [Federal regulators demand new MBTA employee safety plan]( The FTA warned that if the MBTA fails to "appropriately revise" its insufficient work plan and comply with other requirements that federal safety officials outlined, the T will be prohibited from right-of-way access. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Organizers of an annual fishing derby on New Hampshire's Lake Winnipesaukee have [canceled next year’s event due to declining numbers of landlocked salmon](. Officials blame overfishing and development along the lake for the species' struggles. - From excessive hygiene to low-fiber diets, medical anthropologist Theresa MacPhail explores the deep-rooted causes of rising allergy rates in the U.S. and around the world in her new book "Allergic." Here's [what MacPhail says we can do about it](. - Margaret Woo [writes in this commentary]( that her grandfather, who emigrated from China 100 years ago, had to keep his political efforts small and invisible. Now, even as Asian American political power rises, Woo writes that anti-Asian sentiment still smolders. - Summer blockbuster season is upon us. Check out [the Pop Culture Happy Hour team's guide to]( [coming movies and TV shows]( — and whether you can watch them on your couch or in the theater.  What We're Reading 📚 - Ophelia Dahl on her Radcliffe Prize and lessons learned from Paul Farmer and her youth ([NPR]( - Want to Stare Into the Republican Soul in 2023? ([Slate]( - Google’s Photo App Still Can’t Find Gorillas. And Neither Can Apple’s. ([The New York Times](  Tell Me Something Good [2 Mass. students and 4 students from NH, Maine, RI, VT competing in Scripps National Spelling Bee (Boston 25 News)]( Two students from Massachusetts and four students each representing New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont are among 231 elite spellers competing in The 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee. [Read more.]( [2 Mass. students and 4 students from NH, Maine, RI, VT competing in Scripps National Spelling Bee (Boston 25 News)]( Two students from Massachusetts and four students each representing New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont are among 231 elite spellers competing in The 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common looks at [what's behind the recent report showing increased acts of hate in Massachusetts last year](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: Should you turn on the air conditioning this week? According to [this New Englander's guide]( the answer is probably no. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.