November 9, 2026 — The Maine Lobstermen’s Association is applauding a major shift in federal policy that now says U.S. fisheries may be meeting the federal standard for protecting endangered North Atlantic right whales.
The announcement follows a hard-fought court battle in 2023 in which the MLA argued that the science behind a wave of new regulations for the lobster fishery was badly flawed. The MLA won out, and the ruling required the National Marine Fisheries Service to reconsider how it evaluates fishing impacts on right whales, applying correct legal standards.