On November 16, 2020, Judge Lance Walker ordered a temporary stay in the lawsuit led by Max Strahan, aka Man Against Xtinction, in September 2019 in U.S. District court in Bangor. Strahan had brought suit … Continue reading
Draft Whale Rules Expected by Fall
Maine lobstering communities are waiting with great anxiety to learn the outcome of two court cases related to North Atlantic right whale protections. Each case has the potential to fundamentally change how lobster fishing is … Continue reading
Nonprofit Organization Petitions NMFS for Closures
On June 18, the Pew Charitable Trusts sent a petition to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) requesting emergency rules in a broad stretch of the Gulf of Maine … Continue reading
Time is Short for MLA Legal Team
The Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) has assembled a powerful legal team to represent its members in legal and regulatory challenges regarding the level of protection necessary to safeguard endangered North Atlantic right whales from lobster … Continue reading
Economic Impact of Whale Regulations Would be Profound
You see it when you drive into town. The simple clapboard houses along Route 187 have ocean views that reach to the horizon. Head down the road a bit and you come to Moosabec Marine, … Continue reading
At the Forum: NOAA Officials Answer Tough Questions About Whale Plan
A panel of five officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spoke to and answered questions from a largely polite audience of lobstermen and others at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in March. Chris Oliver, … Continue reading
Guest column: Technology at sea: A refresher on EM, ER, and VMS
The evolution of technology in commercial fisheries is as constant as the industry itself. Traps, nets, engines, electronics, and materials have always been changing at varying paces through time. It is worth remembering that adopting … Continue reading
The Year in Review: 2019 packed with change and conflicts
2019 was a year of great change for the state of Maine, the lobster industry and the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA). The lobster industry greeted 2019 with much anguish over prospects for an acute bait … Continue reading
Steaming ahead
A fundamental truth in life is the concept that “united we stand, divided we fall.” And that is abundantly true in the lobstering world. As a diverse community, the lobster industry is notorious for its … Continue reading
Steaming Ahead September 2019
On 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