BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 14, 2022
Even as lobstermen scramble to meet recent regulatory requirements aimed at protecting North Atlantic right whales, federal regulators are moving ahead with a new round of additional restrictions. The National Marine Fisheries Service is proposing another round of rules that could require even more gear changes from lobstermen in Maine and other New England states and put more of the region’s waters off limits to lobster harvesting to reduce the risk of right whales becoming entangled in fishing gear. The agency should slow down and strongly consider viable alternatives presented by fishermen, who spend their days on the ocean and are knowledgeable about their gear.