Maine lobster industry must accept that ‘big changes are coming’ despite delay in federal rules, commissioner says

SPECTRUM NEWS • January 19, 2023

Maine lobstermen got a six-year reprieve when the federal government last month delayed implementation of restrictions designed to protect endangered right whales. Now, lobstermen need to prepare for what lies ahead, the leader of the state’s Department of Marine Resources said Wednesday. “The work now is critical,” DMR Commissioner Patrick Keliher told the Lobster Advisory Council Wednesday. “The buy-in is critical. The data we’re going to be collecting over the next four years is critical. We can’t have infighting. We have to accept big changes are coming.”