Maine’s marine resources chief urges boaters to avoid right whales, pauses some enforcement

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 24, 2025

As dozens of North Atlantic right whales continue to group near Jeffreys Ledge, marine officials are urging lobster fishermen to remove nearby fishing gear and said they will not be enforcing state and federal laws mandating the use of two endlines on trap gear. As many as 90 individual right whales — a significant portion of the critically endangered species’ global population — have been identified off the ledge’s western edge within the last two weeks.