Wicked Local
COMMERCIAL LOBSTERING BEGINS
Effective Friday, May 14, the state Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries lifted the seasonal trap gear closure and small vessel speed limit restrictions north and east of Cape Cod, according to a state marine advisory. The rules were previously in place through May 15 with the potential to be extended further into May if the critically-endangered North Atlantic right whales remained in state waters. The whales get caught in trap fishing lines, and risk harm from entanglements. The lifting of restrictions, which affects commercial lobster fishing in particular, came after an airplane survey by the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown. That survey on May 13 showed that no right whales remained in state waters, according to the advisory. Right whales migrate along the Atlantic coastline throughout the year, and many swim to Canadian waters during the summer to follow the movement of the zooplankton they eat, according to researchers.