PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 7, 2022
As it seeks sweeping restrictions on lobstering in order to protect North Atlantic right whales, the federal government also wants to slow down more boats in hopes of reducing collisions with the endangered marine mammals. A proposal to expand speed limits along the East Coast might have little impact on vessels off Maine, and is not directly linked to two lawsuits over pending federal regulations for the state’s lobster fishery. Still, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association and four conservation groups supported the stricter limits, but took issue with other aspects of the rules.