PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 30, 2021
Emotions run high on both sides of the fate of the North Atlantic right whale. The fishing industry argues it is being unfairly targeted just as conservation groups say the regulations don’t go far enough. It is unfair for the lobster industry to bear a disproportional share of the burden. The scientific evidence for the toll taken by climate-related ocean change is mounting. Entanglements happen, but there has not been a documented entanglement of a right whale in Maine lobster gear since 2004. While the technology is in development, ropeless gear has a long way to go to be feasible, affordable and enforceable in practical application. The plight of the right whale is complicated, but we have the creativity, tools and resources to disentangle this problem. ~ Richard A. Wahle, UMaine Lobster Institute, and Robert S. Steneck, UMaine School of Marine Sciences