The House of Representatives has passed a bill proposed by Rep. Jared Golden (D) extending the moratorium on new regulations pertaining to the North Atlantic right whale through 2035.
The bill was approved in a bipartisan 219-196 vote and now heads to the Senate for further consideration.
The original moratorium, set to expire in 2028, was secured in 2022 while former President Joe Biden was in office, in part at the urging of Maine’s congressional delegation and Gov. Janet Mills (D).
The Maine Lobstermen’s Association has indicated that adopting ropeless gear would cost at least $45 million total, including expenses for trawling up, acquiring and adding weak points, purchasing specialized rope, lengthening groundlines, marking gear, and hiring additional crew to complete the work.
Conservationists often advocate using ropeless gear, arguing it helps minimize harmful interactions with the North Atlantic right whale, considered endangered since 1970 and numbering roughly 380.
The House Natural Resources Committee sent Rep. Golden’s measure to the chamber floor in July in a bipartisan 22-13 vote.
[RELATED: Extended Moratorium on Lobster Industry Regulations Advances to House Floor]
“This bill is a big win not only for fishermen in Maine, but for bipartisanship in Congress,” Rep. Golden said in a statement Tuesday. “While the threat of unnecessary, industry-killing regulations is a matter of survival for lobster harvesters in Maine, the issues at play affect fishermen across the Northeast.”
“Building bridges across party lines is essential for a functional Congress, but unfortunately, it’s a skill that has been lost for far too many members,” he said.
“We don’t have to choose between a lobster industry that is the lifeblood of communities in Maine and protecting the right whale,” said Golden. “The truth is we can do both. Maine fishermen are already proving it.”
Click Here to Read Rep. Golden’s Full Statement
Earlier this year, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a Statement of Administration Policy supporting the measure.
In its notice, OMB explained that extending the moratorium aligns with the Administration’s priorities as outlined in Executive Order 14276, Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness, which seeks to “promote the adoption of new technology and the productive harvest of our seafood resources.”
Sens. Susan Collins (R) and Angus King (I) have also called for continued engagement with seafood industry stakeholders on concerns about ropeless gear, also known as “on-demand” gear.
[RELATED: Susan Collins and Angus King Urge Federal Gov’t to Listen to Lobstermen on Ropeless Gear]
In a letter to Eugenio Piñero Soler, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the senators urged consideration of alternatives such as Dynamic Area Management.
Sens. Collins and King wrote in their letter that although Maine has made “meaningful progress” toward eventually adopting innovative fishing technologies, “substantial issues” still must be resolved before the technologies are “suitable for broad implementation in Maine’s fisheries.”
“Cost and increased trip time are among the most significant barriers,” they said. “Interoperability is another unresolved and critical challenge.”
Sorry its not what’s best for the people or what the people want that counts anymore. Its money in politicians pockets that counts. One big donation by george soreass and the dems will drop to their knees, mouths wide open. They don’t give a johndeer fucc about you.