As I write this, DMR staff are making final changes to our proposed whale rules that I’ll submit to NOAA Fisheries in early December. These changes are based on comments made by members of the … Continue reading
Category: Management, People, WhalesThe Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) published a proposed rule in mid-September to implement a unique and expanded gear marking program for Maine beginning in April 2020. The rule proposes to require all vertical … Continue reading
Category: Management, WhalesOn August 30, 2019, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association sent an extensive letter to NOAA Chief Chris Oliver withdrawing support for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 60% risk reduction target and the assignment of responsibility … Continue reading
Category: Management, WhalesIn October the Department of Marine Resources (DMR) concluded its assessment of the risk that Maine lobstermen present to North Atlantic right whales and released the state’s plan to reduce that risk. In a letter … Continue reading
Category: Management, People, WhalesOn August 30, the MLA notified the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) that we would not be a part of their effort to put the full responsibility for the right whale decline on the lobster … Continue reading
Category: MLA News, People, WhalesDuring July Governor Janet Mills and the Maine Congressional delegation expressed strong opposition to the mandate from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) requiring additional right whale protections. In April, states with commercial lobster fisheries … Continue reading
Category: WhalesAs of June 28, six right whales have been reported dead in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. On June 26, Transport Canada announced that it would be implementing precautionary speed restrictions. The preliminary necropsy results … Continue reading
Category: WhalesThe Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative (MLMC) has an important mission: to create awareness of and demand for Maine lobster. We do this through a variety of activities such as producing content and videos showcasing the … Continue reading
Category: Community Voices, People, Whales“You can yell at me all you want. I’ve got thick skin, but it’s really the feds who are pushing this. Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Commissioner Patrick Keliher said this time and again … Continue reading
Category: WhalesScientists have established firm links between the warming of deep waters in the Gulf of Maine and the reduction of food for the North Atlantic right whale, the world’s second-most endangered marine mammal. The researchers, … Continue reading
Category: Science, Whales