The Issue

New federal rules intended to protect the North Atlantic right whale have set a course to eliminate the Maine lobster fishery and end Maine’s lobster industry. And sadly, the plan won’t save the whales.

Maine Lobstermen are not to blame.

■FACT: There has not been a single known right whale entanglement in Maine lobster gear in almost 20 years.

■FACT: Maine lobster gear has never been linked to a right whale death.

The federal government’s plan ignores important new research about right whale migration patterns that reveals right whales have moved away from where Maine lobstermen fish. The government’s plan also fails to recognize Maine lobstermen’s successful whale conservation practices that have been in place for two decades.

Simply put – the federal government is wrongly holding Maine lobstermen accountable for the decline of the right whale population. Its plan will end the Maine lobster fishery but won’t save right whales.

The June 2023 Appeals Court ruling, and a law passed by Congress in December 2022, gives National Marine Fisheries Service until 2028 to come up with a new plan – and the MLA will be at the table fighting for rules based on sound science and up-to-date data.

Join the Fight to Save Maine Lobstermen

The Maine Lobstermen’s Association is a 501 (c)(6) organization and contributions are not deductible for federal income tax purposes as charitable contributions.