BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 15, 2022
The Legislature’s recent passage of LD 1916, An Act to Create a Legal Defense Fund for the Maine Lobster Industry, shows a clear move by the state to protect its lobstermen from assumed federal government oversight. The issue boils down to lobstermen’s need to fight against increased regulations that aim to protect right whales, recently shutting off nearly 1,000 square miles to lobster fishing from October to January. It is not that protecting right whales, an endangered species, is not important. It’s that the method of doing so puts a disproportionate burden on Mainers who could be part of the solution. LD 1916 should be a lesson for federal regulators to include lobstermen when deciding to make policies that directly impact them. ~ Ailish O’Brien, Bowdoin College