Senator Collins Secures Secretary Ross’ Commitment to Collaborate with Maine’s Lobster Industry on Right Whale Protections

Click HERE to watch Senator Collins’ Q&A with Secretary Ross.  Click HERE to download the video.

Washington, D.C.—In response to a question from U.S. Senator Susan Collins at a Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross pledged to work in consultation with the Maine lobster industry as his agency works to develop new rules intended to safeguard the North Atlantic right whale population.

At the hearing, Senator Collins listed some of the steps that the Maine lobster industry has already taken to prevent interactions with marine mammals, including the replacement of 27,000 miles of floating ground line with whale safe sinking line in 2009 and the implementation of vertical line rules that removed 2,700 miles of buoy line in 2014. 

“As NOAA works with the industry to protect this fragile species, it must do so without endangering human lives or livelihoods,” Senator Collins said.  “Notably, and this is important, there have been no entanglements directly attributed to Maine lobster gear in more than 15 years when it comes to the right whale.”

Senator Collins pointed to data that show that ship strikes and Canadian fishing activities are major contributors to right whale mortalities.  In addition, she raised the alarm that NOAA’s proposed regulations targeting Maine’s lobster industry are not only unfair, but could also put lobstermen and women at risk.

Referring to language she worked to secure in the fiscal year 2020 funding bill for the Department of Commerce, Senator Collins asked Secretary Ross, “[A]re you committed to following the direction that was provided by this committee last year and to ensuring that the rules that NOAA recommends are done in consultation with the lobster industry, with the regulators in Maine and throughout the region, and that they're equitable and safe and don't place the burden on an industry that is not responsible for this state of this fragile marine mammal?”

Secretary Ross responded emphatically, “I not only commit to future collaboration, we already have been collaborating with the fishing community and with the states, and with all the other interested parties.”

Secretary Ross also acknowledged the danger posed by the proposed regulations as currently written and pledged to address this issue.

“We're keenly aware of [the potential hazard of adding additional traps to an individual line], and that is one of the many factors that we will take into account as we try to go forward with resolving these very serious issues.”