For the first time in twenty years, the death of a North Atlantic Right Whale has been linked to Maine fishing gear, according to a federal environmental agency.
Found dead off of Martha’s Vineyard on January 28 — near Joseph Sylvia State Beach — the juvenile, female whale was described as having been entangled in a rope that was “deeply embedded in the tail.”
According to the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — parent agency of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) — the rope found on the whale contained purple markings that are consistent with water trap and pot buoy lines used by lobstermen in Maine.
As of Wednesday, the “full necropsy results are still pending,” and NOAA’s investigation into the whale’s death is still ongoing.
Based on our analysis of the gear, including the purple markings on the rope recovered from North Atlantic right whale #5120, we have concluded that the rope is consistent with the rope used in Maine state water trap/pot buoy lines. Full update: https://t.co/GTzFulcy3f pic.twitter.com/cGeU5vrdOt
— NOAA Fisheries (@NOAAFisheries) February 14, 2024
The North Atlantic Right Whale has been included on the endangered species list since 1970, and recent estimates suggests that there are roughly 360 alive today.
Since 2017, the species has been considered as undergoing an Unusual Mortality Event, accounting for whales that are “sublethally injured or ill” and “seriously injured,” as well as those that have died.
Maine Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) Commissioner Patrick Kehiler released a statement Wednesday addressed to members of the lobstering industry in Maine.
(Images courtesy of NOAA Fisheries)
“On January 28, 2024, a juvenile North Atlantic Right Whale was found dead on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts,” Commissioner Kehiler said. “Unfortunately, preliminary observations by NOAA indicate the whale, identified as #5120 in NOAA’s right whale catalog, was entangled by rope that included purple marks which are consistent with the gear marking requirements for Maine lobstermen.”
“I along with key policy, science, and enforcement staff went to Gloucester, MA to inspect the gear, review NOAA findings and question them regarding any discrepancies we saw,” the statement said. “Unfortunately, the gear is consistent with Maine trap/pot gear.”
“This is very unfortunate – our goal is zero entanglements,” Kehiler said. “Certainly, this is a rare event, in fact it is the first right whale entanglement with known Maine gear since 2004.”
“It is also the first right whale mortality with known Maine gear that [MDMR] is aware of since the establishment of the Take Reduction Plan,” the statement wrote.
“Entangling a whale is not something any fishermen wants see or hear about,” said Kehiler. “This news will undoubtably also brings with it a fear and anxiousness around what could come next from NOAA.”
“It is important to point out that while terrible news, it doesn’t change the fact that Congress has stated in law that this fishery is in compliance with the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act until December 31, 2028,” the statement said.
Click Here to Read the Full Statement from the MDMR
Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) issued a statement on X Wednesday addressing these reports.
“Maine’s lobster industry is the backbone of communities up and down our coast,” Rep. Golden said. “The death of the North Atlantic Right Whale found dead near Martha’s Vineyard and entangled in Maine fishing gear is unfortunate, but we have to be real about tradeoffs.”
“I will continue to stand with Maine’s lobstermen in the face of any effort to use this incident to justify new mandates that would threaten their livelihoods and the foundation of communities that depend on this fishery,” Golden wrote.
I will continue to stand with Maine’s lobstermen in the face of any effort to use this incident to justify new mandates that would threaten their livelihoods and the foundation of communities that depend on this fishery.
— Congressman Jared Golden (@RepGolden) February 14, 2024
The Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) has also issued a statement on NOAA’s announcement.
“The MLA is deeply saddened by the death of a juvenile right whale that NMFS has attributed to the Maine fishery,” the MLA said. “We know that entanglement in Maine gear is extremely rare.”
“This is the first reported entanglement of a right whale in Maine lobster gear in 20 years and the first death attributed to the fishery,” the statement said. “Maine lobstermen have made significant changes to how they fish over the last 25 years to avoid entanglement and continue gear testing.”
“The MLA will continue this important work as we review the data and evidence that NMFS has collected,” the MLA concluded. “MLA remains committed to finding a solution to ensure a future for right whales and Maine’s lobster fishery.”
This past summer, the MLA won a victory in the federal court of appeals in their lawsuit against NOAA in which they argued that the federal agency’s effort to protect the Right Whale were unlawful as they were allegedly based on flawed data and worst-case assumptions.
The New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) also issued a statement questioning whether NOAA, an agency that has been viewed as hostile to fishing in the gulf of Maine, would use the whale’s death as a pretext for retaliatory measures.
“As true stewards of the ocean, we have empathy for this magnificent species,” said Dustin Delano, NEFSA’s Chief Operating Officer and a fourth-generation lobsterman.
“The New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association will continue to monitor the situation as it unfolds and share new information as it becomes available,” Delano said.
“This incident has caused great angst among commercial fishermen as to what retaliatory actions NOAA may take,” he said.
[RELATED: Federal Court of Appeals Decision a Victory for Maine Lobstermen’s Association]
In December, the MDMR received $17 million from NOAA to collect improved data that would be used to guide the creation and implementation of future industry regulations.
There is currently, however, a regulatory pause on Maine’s lobster industry that will remain in effect until December 31, 2028.
The death of the whale near Martha’s Vineyard marked the thirty-seventh Right Whale death since the start of the Unusual Mortality Event in 2017, nine of which were determined to have resulted from entanglement.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="25641 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=25641">3 Comments
If this is even true, it will pale in comparison to North Atlantic Right Whale deaths when the.commie environmental whackos throw up dozens of ocean based windmills. Their motto: “Save the whales; Kill unborn babies.”
Yes, yes we get it. You feel Inferior to Jewish people so you strike out in anger. Its understandable and quite frankly textbook reaction seen in cases of individuals suffering from a lifetime of failure and possibly physical abuse. Hope you get the help you need.
Golden can best protect lobsterman by promising not to vote for any Democrat as speaker.
He can go jabbering but only Republicans can stop the environmental madness.