A few weeks ago I attended a potluck fundraiser at a local library to raise money for the Maine Lobstermen’s Association’s Legal Defense Fund. MLA President Kristan Porter spoke of the importance of potlucks, where … Continue reading
Guest column: Collision course? ASMFC draft Addendum 27 and the Take Reduction Team
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is moving forward with a new Addendum intended to support the resiliency of the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank (GOM/GBK) lobster stock.As discussed in past industry meetings, the one … Continue reading
LMA 1 Seasonal Closure on Hold, For Now
Slightly more than a week after Judge Lance Walker of the U.S. District Court in Bangor temporarily halted implementation of a seasonal closure in Lobster Management Area 1 (LMA 1), lawyers for the Secretary of … Continue reading
Right Whales Congregating Where Wind Turbines Will Be
North Atlantic right whales are congregating and finding food in a new area: southern New England waters where offshore wind energy projects are scheduled to be built. A new analysis, published in the journal Endangered … Continue reading
Maine Lobstermen’s Association Raises Concern Over Fishery’s Future And Need For Better Data In Whale Rules
“The MLA will not let over-reaching regulations based on inaccurate data erase the Maine lobster fishery and our fishing heritage,” said Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA), in response to two … Continue reading
Maine Lobstermen Make Their Voices Heard
In December 2020, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) released its draft amendments to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan, commonly known as the whale rules. The draft rules, designed to reduce risk to … Continue reading
Canada’s 2021 Right Whale Protections Similar To 2020
In February, the Government of Canada announced its 2021 rules designed to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales from encounters with vessels and fishing gear. Increasingly large aggregations of feeding right whales have been sighted … Continue reading
In The NEWS
MLMC Reauthorized For 5 years The Marine Resources Committee voted unanimously in March to pass LD 338, An Act to Amend the Law Governing the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative. The Collaborative was created in 2013 … Continue reading
NMFS calls for deeper cuts over ten years to protect whales
Right whales will continue to decline unless other actions taken Two major announcements related to North Atlantic right whales and the U.S. lobster fishery were made by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) as 2020 … Continue reading
Maine Right Whale Court Case on Hold Until May
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