The Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) is supporting legal action against the US Secretary of Commerce which is attempting to block the National Marine Fisheries Service closing critically important fishing grounds
The seasonal closure, scheduled to come into effect this week, will bar lobster fishing anywhere in 967 square miles off the coast of Maine. Its aim is to protect North Atlantic right whales from becoming entangled in fishing gear.
“This closure will do nothing to protect right whales, but it will cause unnecessary financial harm to Maine lobstermen, their families, and the economy of Maine,” said Patrice McCarron, executive director of the MLA. “The MLA remains committed to doing our part to recover right whales, but this closure is essentially useless even as a small step toward recovery for the species.”
No reported instance of entanglement
In the amicus brief, the MLA notes that there has never been a single documented or observed instance of a right whale gear entanglement in this closure area and that multiple studies show that the whales rarely occupy these waters.
Since 1997, the Maine lobster industry has successfully implemented measures to reduce potential risks to the right whale population and there has not been a single known entanglement with Maine lobster gear in almost two decades.
