LEAK HERALD • November 13, 2021
A fierce fight is being waged in the Gulf of Maine between lobster fishers desperate to maintain their way of life and conservationists who argue that the waters are a vital haven for the threatened North Atlantic right whale. Last month, a federal judge in Maine rejected a federal ban on lobstering in a section of the Gulf of Maine that is meant to protect the whales. The decision reflects the tense battle between a centuries-long lobstering industry – and bedrock of the local economy – that is fighting for its survival and conservation groups, who argue lobster fishing in the area has had detrimental effects on an endangered species who have been injured and killed by the fishing equipment.