February 9, 2022 — A Maine legislative committee on Tuesday put off its vote on a plan to create a $30 million fund to help fishermen cope with new fishing rules meant to protect whales.
The Maine lobster fishery is subject to new rules designed to protect North Atlantic right whales from entanglement in gear. A bill proposed by Democratic Rep. Holly Stover would create the relief fund to help fishermen hurt economically by the new rules pay for expenses such as boat payments and gear.
February 9, 2022 — A bill that would set up a legal defense fund to help the Maine lobster industry fight a series of impending regulatory changes was met with mixed reaction from lawmakers and industry participants during a public hearing Tuesday.
The Legislature’s Marine Resources Committee also tabled a vote on another bill that would create a $30 million economic relief fund for lobstermen, paid out of the state’s general fund.
The push for legal and economic relief comes in advance of new federal rules that will require lobstermen in the Gulf of Maine to adopt special ropes and other equipment and techniques designed to reduce mortality risk to the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. Those rules are set to take effect May 1, although the industry is seeking a 60-day extension.
Unlike the proposed economic relief fund, which would rely on taxpayer money, the legal defense fund would be paid for with surcharges on lobster trap tags and licenses. Those fees would generate an estimated $807,000 a year for the fund, but would divert money away from other industry causes.
February 8, 2022 — Area lobstermen heard little good news at a Jan. 31 Zone B Council meeting as Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher shared information presented earlier at a December 2021 Lobster Advisory Council meeting.
New gear, reporting and trap line regulations and the temporary closure of local waters to lobster fishing – all aimed at protecting the endangered North Atlantic right whale – are changing how lobstermen fish today and in the future. But greater challenges will play out in federal courts, as lawsuits levied by well-funded environmental groups could shut the fishery completely down.
“This represents the greatest threat to the industry,” Deputy Commissioner Meredith Mendelson said.
If the federal court rules to vacate the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s biological opinion, as one lawsuit requests, on grounds that it violates the Endangered Species Act and the 1946 Administration Procedures Act (which governs how federal agencies develop and issue regulations), then NOAA’s National Fisheries Marine Service (NFMS) could not legally authorize the fishery to operate.
February 7, 2022 — Maine’s governor and congressional delegation are calling on the federal government to push back new fishing rules designed to protect whales so fishermen can comply with them.
New lobster fishing rules require fishermen to start using weakened rope or special inserts to weaken existing rope beginning in May in some waters. That’s to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and the four members of the delegation said Monday the federal government should push the conversion deadline from May 1 to July 1. They said a lack of compliant gear is making it hard for harvesters to comply with the rules.
February 3, 2022 — Maine lobstermen can resume setting their traps in a roughly 960-square-mile area of ocean that’s been off-limits to them for the past two months.
That closure was part of new rules from the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, ordered to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales.
Fishermen in that offshore area were told to remove their traps by late October, but the Maine Lobstering Union challenged the requirement in court and won a restraining order. However, just a few weeks later, a federal appeals court overturned that ruling and reinstated the closure, which finally began at the end of November.
The Maine Lobstermen’s Association estimated last year that nearly 200 fishermen normally work that area during the months it would be closed.
Tuesday marked the end of the closure and fishermen can now return to those waters. However, the MLA said the closure has cost those fishermen money, as they had to spend time relocating traps instead of fishing, which may have reduced catches.
February 1, 2022 — The lobstermen viewed themselves as trailblazers, even calling themselves “Pioneers for a Thoughtful Coexistence.” That was before fellow fishermen threatened to burn their boats and accused them of trying to steal their catch.
In an effort to prove that there’s a way for their industry to resume fishing in coastal waters where Massachusetts banned lobstering to protect endangered whales, they have asked regulators to allow them to set their traps without vertical buoy lines. Those heavy ropes, which connect traps on the seafloor to buoys on the surface, have entangled large numbers of North Atlantic right whales, scientists say, seriously injuring or killing the critically endangered species.
If the state approves their proposal, which has received support from right whale scientists and environmental groups, it would be the first time commercial lobster fishing would be allowed without buoy lines in any state waters.
“I’ve been trying my best to get our guys back fishing,” said Michael Lane, 46, a lobsterman who fishes 800 traps out of Cohasset. “I’ve seen so much taken away from us, for years; it’s nice to finally have the chance to see something going in the right direction. This could be a win for the fishing community.”
To protect right whales, some areas along the coast, such as Cape Cod Bay, have since 2015 been closed to lobster fishing between February and May, when large numbers of them feed in those waters. As the decline of the whales’ population has accelerated — scientists estimate their numbers are down 30 percent in the last decade — federal officials pressured the state to act. As a result, state officials last year expanded the three-month ban on traditional lobster fishing to most of its coastal waters.
“I do not expect to issue a decision for a few more weeks,” said Dan McKiernan, director of the state Division of Marine Fisheries.
He declined to comment on whether he’s inclined to permit ropeless fishing. “I am still gathering information from staff and considering the extensive comments,” he said.
After years of protesting the annual closures, officials at the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association urged McKiernan to reject the pioneers’ proposal, arguing that it could lead to “catastrophic” conflicts with other fisheries.
January 27, 2022 — Greater reliance on genetic testing of baby whales and their mothers can provide more accurate information about a rare species and increase the chances of saving them from extinction, according to the authors of a new scientific study.
The study’s authors analyzed decades of data about the whales and found they had more success tracking the animals’ survival, growth rates and life histories when they had access to genetic samples. They published their findings in the journal Mammalian Biology on Jan. 20.
The scientists focused on 13 right whale calves that were identified via genetics. They said they were able to determine the age of 12 of the whales and match 11 with their mothers — and even found that four believed to be dead were actually still alive.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Washington Post
January 24, 2022 — Lobstermen will have to start using weakened rope or special inserts to weaken existing rope beginning in May in some waters to help protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.
But the rope and links aren’t yet readily available, causing consternation among lobstermen seeking to comply with the rules.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources has received numerous complaints that there isn’t a sufficient supply of approved ropes or the plastic links, a spokesperson told the Bangor Daily News.
The department plans to notify federal regulators of the problem so they’re aware of the potential compliance challenges.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Portland Press Herald
January 11, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board has approved for public comment Draft Addendum XXIX to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for American Lobster and Draft Addendum IV to the Jonah Crab FMP. The Draft Addenda were initiated in August 2020 to consider implementing electronic tracking requirements for federally-permitted vessels in the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries, with the objective of collecting high resolution spatial and temporal effort data.
The Commission and its member states from Maine to Virginia will be conducting a series of hearings to gather public input on the Draft Addenda. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most hearings will be conducted via webinar; some hearings will be state-specific and others regionally-focused. Public hearing information, webinar links, and call-in information are below. Please note that in order to comment during the hearings you will need to use your computer or download the GoToWebinar app for your phone. Those joining by phone only will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to provide input. Additional details on participating in the webinar can be found later in this release; this information is particularly important for those that have not used the GoToWebinar platform before.
| Date | State or Regional Hearing | Contact(s) |
| Wednesday, January 12, 2022
6:30 – 8 PM |
Connecticut and New York | Colleen Bouffard (CT), 860.876.6881
Maureen Davidson (NY), 631.444.0483 |
| Thursday, January 13, 2022
6:30 – 8 PM |
New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia | Joseph Cimino (NJ), 609.748.2020
John Clark (DE), 302.739.9914 Michael Luisi (MD), 443.758.6547 Patrick Geer (VA), 757.247.2236 |
| Tuesday, January 18, 2022
6 – 8 PM |
Maine Department of Marine Resources
|
Megan Ware (ME), 207.446.0932
|
| Wednesday, January 19, 2022
6 – 8 PM |
Maine Department of Marine Resources
|
Megan Ware (ME), 207.446.0932
|
| Wednesday, January 19, 2022
6:30 – 8 PM |
New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game
Note: This hearing will be held in a hybrid format. To virtually attend this hearing, please use this webinar registration link. To listen in only, dial1.415.655.0052 and enter 879-685-496. You can also attend in person at the address below: Urban Forestry Center 45 Elwyn Road Portsmouth, NH 03801
|
Cheri Patterson (NH), 603.868.1095
|
| Thursday, January 20, 2022
6:30 – 8 PM |
Massachusetts and Rhode Island | Nichola Meserve (MA), 617.626.1531
Jason McNamee (RI), 401.222.4700 |
The Draft Addenda are available athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/
January 5, 2022 — The Maine Department of Marine Resources has been granted intervenor status in a federal lawsuit brought over new lobstering restrictions intended to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a new set of rules for the lobster fishery last summer with a goal of reducing the entanglement risk for the remaining 336 North Atlantic right whales.
But Maine’s governor said that it’s misguided to impose restrictions on the state’s signature seafood.
“There’s never been a known right whale mortality associated with the Maine lobster fishery, and there have been zero known right whale entanglements associated with Maine lobster gear in almost two decades,” said Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills.