November 17, 2021 — The Maine Lobstermen’s Association held a press conference announcing a fundraising appeal to the general public. The association wants to raise $10 million for what it foresees as endless, costly court clashes over right whale supporters and their industry.
Without the financial means to fight both the government and environmental activists, lobstermen said their very existence is at stake.
“We need to level the playing field and make this a fair fight,” said Lobstermen’s Association Vice President Dustin Delano.
President Kristan Porter said his association was assembling the best legal team they could find.
“It’s not cheap,” Porter said “but we need to be able to stand and fight.”
The offshore fishery currently in question covers 950 square miles of ocean, about 30 miles off the coast, from Mount Desert Island to Casco Bay. Federal regulators want it closed from October through January.
The closure is meant to protect endangered right whales traversing the Gulf of Maine from Canadian waters to the Florida coast. Maine lobstermen, who have already switched to non-floating and breakaway lines in an effort to protect the scarce mammals, said they are not to blame for increased mortalities seen in recent years.
Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News