While the Maine lobster industry is known for self-regulation and environmentally sustainable practices, it also poses one of the biggest threats to endangered whale species — which can become entangled in the thousands of miles of ropes used by the industry to trap lobsters, according to federal regulators.
Two years ago, lobstermen were required to make a costly switch in their ground lines — those linking traps to one another — from floating rope to lines that sink to the ocean bottom. Now lobstermen are facing more rule changes, this time concerning their vertical lines, the ropes that connect the traps to their lobster buoys on the surface.
At a series of four meetings from Machias to Portland this week, regulators will seek practical solutions from the public. The meetings will continue along the entire Atlantic coast through the summer.
While Maine lobstermen say they are ready to help protect whales, they are skeptical of what they call the one-size-fits-all federal regulatory process.
Read the complete story from The Portland Press Herald.