Supporters of a bill to ease restrictions on lobster processing in Massachusetts say passage would help consumers and the industry.

Sen. Bruce Tarr, a Gloucester Republican, says the legislation he has filed for the 2019-2020 session would allow seafood businesses in Massachusetts to process and sell in-shell lobster parts.

Massachusetts currently allows only for the production and sale of live and cooked lobsters and canned lobster meat.

Tarr says raw and frozen lobster parts are currently processed in Maine or Canada, then shipped back to Massachusetts.

He says a recent study by the state Division of Marine Fisheries found changing the law would result in economic benefits and offer consumers more choice.

The director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association, Beth Casoni, says lobstermen would be in a more competitive position if the bill passed.