Aerial survey of North Atlantic Right Whales courtesy of New England Aquarium, taken under NEFSC permit #25739
PORTLAND, MAINE (AP) — A lobster fishing union in Maine has decided to drop part of its lawsuit against the federal government over new restrictions meant to protect rare whales.
The Maine Lobstering Union sued the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) after the government instated a seasonal ban on lobster fishing gear in a nearly 1,000-square-mile area off New England to try to protect North Atlantic right whales.
The critically-endangered whales, which are spending more time in Cape Cod Bay throughout the year, are vulnerable to entanglement in the gear.
A lawyer for the lobster fishing union said Friday, August 26 that the union is focusing instead on other litigation about fishing rules.
BY PATRICK WHITTLE, ASSOCIATED PRESS.
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