August 19, 2021 — Maine’s congressional delegation is calling on the U.S. secretary of commerce to reject a petition calling for seasonal closures in parts of Maine’s lobster fishing industry.
They sent a letter Wednesday asking the secretary to reject a petition that was recently submitted by the Pew Charitable Trusts for interim regulations to protect right whales.
The delegation’s statement said for the Downeast Maine closure alone, Pew’s proposal is estimated to reduce the risk to whales by just 1.7 percent, while causing $22 million in losses for local lobstermen.