September 19, 2022 — The Maine Lobstermen’s Association is appealing a federal judge’s ruling that rejected a lawsuit aimed at blocking new regulations designed to protect the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale.
The appeal goes to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
The Maine Lobstermen’s Association, with the state, sued to stop or delay the regulations that will limit where and how lobstermen can fish in federal waters. The lawsuit argued that the National Marine Fisheries Service acted arbitrarily by failing to rely on the best available scientific information and by failing to account for the positive impact of conservation measures already adopted by the Maine lobster fishery.