Fishermen must be heard about whale rules, Maine gov says

By PATRICK WHITTLE
Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s governor says the federal government is moving ahead too quickly with potential new restrictions on the lobster fishing industry, and isn’t taking the industry’s concerns about the changes into account. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently announced it was seeking input on new rules to reduce risk to rare whales. The North Atlantic right whales number less than 340 and they’re vulnerable to entanglement in lobster fishing gear. Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, said Tuesday the agency’s plan to provide only one chance for public comment about the new rules is not sufficient.