Maine lobstermen unlikely to face immediate legal peril over dead whale

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 15, 2024

Maine’s lobster industry is not expected to face any immediate legal or regulatory consequences after a fishing rope suspected to originate in the state was found embedded in the tail of a dead right whale. That is because of a measure approved by Congress more than a year ago that prevents new restrictions aimed at protecting right whales from being imposed on lobstermen before 2028, despite repeated concerns raised by whale advocates that lobster gear poses too great an entanglement risk.