Maine's federal lawmakers seek reprieve for lobstermen in national spending bill

MAINE PUBLIC • December 20, 2022

Maine's lobster fishery will have much longer to comply with federal rules aimed at reducing the risks to the endangered North Atlantic right whale population, if a government spending bill clears the U.S. Congress this week. Maine's congressional delegation slipped an amendment into a must-pass federal government spending bill. The proposal would give the National Marine Fisheries Service until 2028 to issue new rules aimed at reducing right whale deaths from entanglements in lobster gear.