Feds will focus on assisting rather than penalizing lobstermen as new gear regulations take effect

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 20, 2022

Federal fishery regulators said Wednesday that enforcement of new fishing gear regulations will initially focus on helping fishermen get in line with new measures rather than doling out civil penalties. Supply chain issues have dogged the rollout of the new regulations, something that the regulators acknowledged in their announcement, less than two weeks before the rules aimed at making the Gulf of Maine safer for the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale go into effect.