040141 Is Cod Fish Also the “Other WhiteMeat”?

Gloucester, MA - The National Pork Board says there's something fishy about this city's use of the slogan "The Other White Meat."

Gloucester, the nation's oldest fishing port, displayed the catch phrase on its Web site under a picture of a cod fish.

Board spokeswoman Cindy Cunningham told the Gloucester Daily Times that if the city doesn't pull the slogan, which the board has trademarked, "it probably would be litigated."

Gloucester, founded in 1623, built its reputation largely on the cod fish inhabiting North Atlantic waters.

Mayor John Bell said an "unnamed citizen" came up with the idea of using the phrase, and the mayor thought it would be a good way of promoting the fishing industry during a time of fear over mad cow disease.

The Des Moines, Iowa-based National Pork Board represents the $14 billion a year industry that employs 800,000 people.

The pork board and the Maine lobster industry clashed in 1997 over the lobster industry's use of the phrase "The Ultimate White Meat."

The sides reached an out-of-court settlement in that case.

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