April 9, 2026 — In a joint letter to NOAA Fisheries, the senators representing the U.S. state of Maine asked NOAA Fisheries to pay attention to the concerns of lobstermen over ropeless gear implementation.
“Maine lobstermen’s concerns about ropeless gear are well-documented and deserve serious consideration,” the senators said. “It is important to give full and meaningful weight to concerns raised by fishermen regarding ropeless/on-demand fishing gear as NMFS’ core strategy for North Atlantic right whale conservation.”