Legislative committee reverses course, endorses legal defense fund for Maine’s lobster industry

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 1, 2022

A legislative committee reversed course Tuesday and voted unanimously to endorse a bill that will provide financial support to Maine’s lobster industry as it fights in court against federal rules designed to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Members of the Committee on Marine Resources met virtually and voted 12-0 to recommend passage of L.D. 1916, an act to create a Legal Defense Fund for the Maine Lobster Industry. If the legislation is adopted by the full Legislature and signed by the governor, the Legal Defense Fund would provide about $900,000 annually to help lobster fishermen fight new federal rules designed reduce mortality risk to the endangered right whale.