Maine could pay lobster fishers to check new gear as whale safety guidelines loom

AUGUSTA, Maine — Lawmakers in Maine are getting behind a drive to pay lobster fishers to adjust to potential new fishing rules.

Lobster and crab fishermen face the prospect of robust new guidelines designed to guard vanishing North Atlantic proper whales. The guidelines would require harvesters to make use of new sorts of drugs, and alter when and the place they’ll fish.

Democratic Sen. Eloise Vitelli of Arrowsic proposed a invoice that may create a “lobster innovation fund” to pay lobster fishing license holders to check new fishing applied sciences. The Maine Legislature’s marine sources committee unanimously accredited the proposal, which now goes the total Legislature.

The proposal would put aside $1 million per yr for the following two fiscal years.

Maine officers and members of the lobster trade are additionally difficult the brand new fishing guidelines in court docket. Federal regulators have stated change is important as a result of the whales are susceptible to entanglement in fishing gear, however the trade has described the brand new guidelines as too onerous.