GREENPEACE • October 24, 2022
There are some three million lobster pots in Maine’s waters, creating entanglement hazards for whales and other marine life. The lobstermen do not want to kill whales, of course, but with that much gear in the water, whales are being killed nonetheless. The Endangered Species Act, one of our bedrock environmental laws, requires that measures be taken to prevent extinction. So far, actions taken have fallen short. We can no longer afford to set catch limits at the maximum level allowed by laws created 30 years ago. And we have to act quickly to establish a network of fully protected sanctuaries, both to help our oceans recover from the mistakes we have already made and to limit the damage from mistakes yet to come.