Lifeline for Maine lobstermen included in federal bill

File photo / Laurie Schreiber Maine lobstermen will see a six-year reprieve in the form of a "regulatory pause" that will be included in the appropriations bill expected to pass the Senate and House this week, the state's congressional delegation announced.

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By Ann Fisher

Maine lobstermen will see a six-year reprieve in the form of a "regulatory pause" that will be included in the appropriations bill expected to pass the Senate and House this week, the state's congressional delegation announced today.

“Our provision, which relies upon the expertise of the professionals at the Maine Department of Marine Resources, was included in the government funding bill released this morning," U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine and Angus King, I-Maine, and U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District and Jared Golden, D-2nd District, said in a prepared release.

They said the measure will enable the lobster fishery to continue to operate while still complying with the National Marine Fisheries Service's most recent rules on the North Atlantic right whale.

"Without our provision, Maine’s iconic industry could be facing a complete shutdown — and the ripple effects across our state would have been widespread," the delegation said.

The delegation called the provision a compromise that would protect the livelihoods of the men and women who make their living from lobstering.

The provision deems the current right whale rules sufficient to ensure the continued operation of the lobster and Jonah crab fisheries for six years through Dec. 31, 2028, and also provides that new regulations for the two fisheries would take effect by that date.

The provision also authorizes a new grant program that could fund innovative gear technologies and the monitoring needed for the management of fisheries. Fishermen and other participants within the maritime industry would be eligible for this funding.

“Maine’s lobstermen and women ... have invested in countless precautionary measures to protect right whales, including removing more than 30,000 miles of line from the water and switching to weaker rope to prevent whales from being entangled," said Gov. Janet Mills, who supports the measure. "And the fact is — there has never been a right whale death attributed to Maine lobster gear."

The Maine delegation and Mills have been steadfastly opposed to undue burdens that would threaten the lobster fishery without meaningfully protecting whales.

Following the release of the final rule in late August 2021, they issued a statement in opposition, highlighting the Maine lobster fishery’s record of making significant improvements to their practices and modifications to their gear to protect right whales. In February 2022 they called for a postponement of the rule due to difficulties lobstermen were having obtaining the necessary gear.