Lobster rules to protect whale will wait 2 years, judge says
A federal judge has ruled that new lobster fishing restrictions designed to conserve rare whales will be delayed until 2024 to give the government time to design them
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that new lobster fishing restrictions designed to conserve rare whales will be delayed until 2024 to give the government time to design them.
The ruling Thursday by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg came on the heels of his July ruling that new, stronger rules are needed to protect the North Atlantic right whale from extinction. The whales are vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gear.
Boasberg previously ruled that fishing restrictions issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service didn't go far enough to protect the whales. The agency must issue new rules by December 2024, he ruled this week.
Environmentalists and fishing industry members have long argued about the rules. Fishermen argue that stricter rules could cripple the industry, which harvests one of the most popular and lucrative seafood items in the country. Conservation groups have cited entanglement in gear as an existential threat to the whales, which number 340 and are in decline.
