August 27, 2019 — There’s a debate raging over how much Maine’s lobstermen should have to change how they fish for the sake of the endangered North Atlantic right whale.
The state’s congressional delegation and governor have sided with lobstermen, arguing that Maine’s iconic fishery isn’t responsible for the shrinking population of right whales. Meanwhile, propelled by a lawsuit from conservation groups, the federal government is working on regulations that would require lobstermen to use less fishing line and switch to weaker rope from which entangled whales can more easily break free.
The debate boils down to this: Should regulators give more weight to risk or evidence?