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Ropeless fishing technology could prevent entanglements while allowing the fishery to continue to prosper.

By Bill McWeeny  Currently, Maine lobstermen are under pressure to install weak contrivances, better known as weak links, in their endlines by May 1. This

In the fight over right whale protection rules, Maine lobstermen feel outgunned by national conservation groups. But here in Maine, local whale advocates say they can’t get a word in.

Lobstermen say NOAA’s proposed whale rule won’t work, and conservationists agree ELLSWORTH — A Feb. 24 public hearing on a proposed National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) rule aimed at reducing the risk of North Atlantic right whale entanglements in fishing lines raised questions of relevant data used in drafting the rule and its outcome for lobstermen and right whales.  These conversations have been going on between conservationists, lobstermen, NOAA and the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) since 2019, when NOAA held its first public meetings on how ...

Lobster fishermen are worried that federal regulations, proposed to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale from entanglement in fishing gear, could put the industry out of business. Conservationists worry the whale won’t survive much longer, given increased concerns about gear entanglement and ship strikes. The National Marine Fisheries Service — an agency that’s part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and is responsible for overseeing fishing in federal waters — is in the midst of holding hearings on proposed modifications to the federal government’...