Democrats upset about Maine lobsterman’s role in the Trump administration

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 3, 2026

President Donald Trump’s administration has installed a Maine lobsterman as its first-ever “fisherman in residence.” Dustin Delano of Friendship is working in an unpaid capacity with NOAA while chairing the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association. The appointment comes after a long period of tension between NOAA and Maine politicians and fishermen who have aligned themselves against limits on fishing aimed at conserving endangered whale populations. The congressional delegation won a six-year pause on those regulations in 2022. Two members of the congressional committee overseeing NOAA issued a letter Monday saying the position was rife with potential conflicts of interest. But U.S. Rep. Jared Golden wrote, “I applaud NOAA for identifying the need for a real harvester, not another bureaucrat.”