BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 10, 2023
New legislation provides a shield to the lobster industry for six years. This is what we do and don’t know about right whales’ time in Maine waters. Right whales are found in the Gulf of Maine. Exactly how many go through Maine’s waters isn’t clear. Many lobstermen say they never see right whales, but they have been detected recently off the coast of Maine. Entanglements are one of the leading causes of injury and death for the whales. There have been no right whale entanglements attributed to Maine fishing gear since 2004 though it is extremely rare for entanglements to be pinpointed to their source. Since 2017, 92 right whales have been killed or injured and advocates believe the new pause on regulations could set the species back. Federal regulators cite vessel strikes as another leading cause of death for right whales. Many lobstermen feel more attention should be paid to this threat.