U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) recently secured a pledge from U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross that his department will work with the Maine lobster industry to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales.
Referring to language she worked to secure in the fiscal year 2020 funding bill for the U.S. Department of Commerce, Sen. Collins during a March 5 hearing held by the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science asked Secretary Ross to consider such consultation with the Maine lobster industry as his agency works to develop new rules intended to safeguard the North Atlantic right whale population.
The senator pointed out that proposed regulations by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) unfairly target Maine’s lobster industry and could put men and women working in the industry at risk.
“[A]re you committed to following the direction that was provided by this committee last year and to ensuring that the rules that NOAA recommends are done in consultation with the lobster industry, with the regulators in Maine and throughout the region, and that they’re equitable and safe and don’t place the burden on an industry that is not responsible for this state of this fragile marine mammal?” asked Sen. Collins.
“I not only commit to future collaboration, we already have been collaborating with the fishing community and with the states, and with all the other interested parties,” answered the secretary.
Sen. Collins also listed several steps that the Maine lobster industry has taken to prevent interactions with marine mammals, including the 2009 replacement of 27,000 miles of floating ground line with whale-safe sinking line and the 2014 implementation of vertical line rules that removed 2,700 miles of buoy line.
“As NOAA works with the industry to protect this fragile species, it must do so without endangering human lives or livelihoods,” said Sen. Collins. “Notably, and this is important, there have been no entanglements directly attributed to Maine lobster gear in more than 15 years when it comes to the right whale.”
Secretary Ross said his department is keenly aware of the potential hazard of adding additional traps to an individual line.
“That is one of the many factors that we will take into account as we try to go forward with resolving these very serious issues,” he told Sen. Collins.