“Maine’s lobster industry has a long and proud tradition of responsible harvesting practices and good environmental stewardship, including significant investments by lobstermen to protect right whales,” said Governor Mills. “These funds will ensure that federal regulators can no longer burden this vital industry with management decisions based on poor data that threaten the livelihoods of thousands of Mainers. I thank Maine’s Congressional Delegation for its work to secure this important funding.”
“This federal funding is critical to improving the flawed and incomplete data that is being used to create unnecessary, burdensome requirements for Maine lobstermen and women,” said Senator Collins. “As the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I am committed to continuing to advocate for this funding that supports the imperative work the Maine Department of Marine Resources is doing to support the future of Maine’s iconic lobster industry.”
“For 150 years, Maine’s lobster harvesters have demonstrated their commitment to maintaining and protecting a sustainable fishery in the Gulf of Maine,” said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine). “This significant investment to improve right whale monitoring and data will help ease the unfair regulatory burden on lobstermen. I am proud to work with my fellow members of Maine’s Congressional Delegation through my role on the House Appropriations Committee to ensure our heritage lobster industry has the federal support needed to sustain both the fishery and our marine environment.”
“For decades, the Maine lobster industry has been a global leader for environmental sustainability and stewardship,” said Senator Angus King (I-Maine). “We’ve seen the industry welcome innovative approaches to reduce the injury of right whales, often at cost to their bottom line and under the burden of heavy regulations. These new funds will allow for additional research and provide clarity to ensure regulations are based on the best available scientific data and will support the Maine lobster fishery’s proactive, science-based practices.”
“The regulations levied by federal agencies on our state’s historic fisheries have not lined up with the science,” said Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02). “I’m glad to see that funding has been made available to put into hard numbers what our fishermen have been saying for years now: right whales are not being killed by Maine’s lobster fishery.”
“As a direct result of MLA’s historic appeals court victory last June, NMFS must now go back to the drawing board to develop a new Whale Rule and Biological Opinion which can no longer be based on worst-case scenarios,” said Patrice McCarron, policy director for the Maine Lobstermen’s Association. “MLA appreciates the tenacity of the Governor and Maine’s congressional delegation who worked together to secure this important funding. Maine DMR will now collect critical data to prove where right whales are, and, importantly, where they are not, so future regulations can put meaningful protections in place without causing unnecessary harm to the lobster industry."