BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 13, 2025
Rep. Jared Golden’s recent column claims that only one right whale death has been traced to Maine lobster gear over the last 30 years. But for decades, the lobster industry avoided sufficiently marking their fishing gear, so connecting their gear to whale deaths was virtually impossible. Since 90 percent of the lobster industry is in Maine and getting entangled in fishing gear is a primary killer of right whales, it stands to reason that Maine fishing gear has contributed to more than one premature death. Golden asserts that “fishermen need more time” before rules are put in place to protect the barely 370 right whales that remain on our planet. The government has considered right whales endangered since the Endangered Species Act passed more than 50 years ago. Right whales needed new regulations protecting them years ago, not a decade from now. ~ Erica Fuller, Conservation Law Foundation