Golden’s bill to extend lobster, right whale moratorium earns green light from Natural Resources Committee

WASHINGTON — The House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday approved a proposal by Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) to extend until 2035 protections for Maine’s lobstermen from new regulations related to the North Atlantic right whale. 

The committee advanced H.R. 9436, the Northeast Lobstermen Protection Act, to the House floor in a bipartisan 22-13 vote. The bill, led by Golden and Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17), extends the moratorium on certain new regulations — including potential fishery closures — from 2028 to 2035. 

“I’m grateful to Rep. Lawler and my colleagues on the Committee for a strong show of bipartisan support for Maine lobstermen. In 2022, Congress enacted this regulatory pause and funded new efforts to gather information to support a data-driven process establishing rules that made sense for both the fishermen and the whales. But today the rulemaking process is behind schedule for reasons that have nothing to do with Maine fishermen. At the same time, those charged with gathering the necessary data say more time is needed to ensure regulations can incorporate the best available science. Mainers are not asking for much. We just need more time,” Golden said. 

“Protecting the North Atlantic right whale and supporting America's fishing communities are goals that can and must go hand in hand. By extending the current regulatory framework through 2035, the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act provides the time needed to develop durable, science-driven solutions that protect this endangered species without imposing unnecessary burdens on fishermen. I’m grateful to Chairman Bruce Westerman for advancing this legislation through Committee and to Rep. Jared Golden for his partnership on this bipartisan effort,” Lawler said.

The moratorium was originally enacted in 2022 under President Joe Biden, with bipartisan support from the entire Maine delegation and Maine Gov. Janet Mills. Earlier this year President Donald Trump signaled his support for Golden’s proposed extension. 

Two parallel but related processes related to crafting new rules for the protection of North Atlantic right whales are both behind schedule: Layoffs at NOAA and government shutdowns have delayed the start of the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team’s regulatory process, reducing the timeline for developing fishery management proposals. Meanwhile, scientists and researchers at Maine’s Department of Marine Resources (DMR) say more time is needed to ensure relevant data is available to inform the rulemaking process. 

“We are still gathering various types of data, and we anticipate that several of these data streams will not be able to be incorporated into decision-support tools due to the compressed timeline for rulemaking,” wrote Maine DMR Commissioner Carl Wilson in a Letter of Support for H.R. 9436. “An extension of the pause would ensure that there is time to incorporate this information, and that rulemaking is based on the best available science.” 

In addition to the Maine DMR, the extension of the regulatory pause was supported in written testimony by the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, Maine Lobstering Union Local 207, Maine Lobster Advisory Council, New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association, New Hampshire Commercial Fisherman’s Association and Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association. Golden entered their letters into the Congressional Record. 

Select portions of letters in support of H.R. 9436:

• John Drouin, Vice President, New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association: “H.R. 9436 strikes an appropriate balance between protecting one of the world's most endangered whale species and preserving the economic viability of historic fishing communities throughout the Northeast. It ensures that future management decisions will be informed by more complete scientific information while maintaining protections already in place.”
• David M. Tar, Chairman, Maine Lobster Advisory Council: “Maine fishermen want no harm to come to a right whale, from our, or any, fishing practices. We need some stability in management. … We strongly support extending the pause to 2035. It would allow regulators the time to make meaningful changes using the data that is improving every day.” 
• Virginia Olsen, Director, Maine Lobstering Union Local 207: “A thoughtful extension would allow for the development of effective, enforceable, and economically realistic regulations that protect both the North Atlantic right whale and the people whose lives depend on these waters. We remain committed to being part of the solution and to working collaboratively toward outcomes that ensure a sustainable future for all.”
• Patrice McCaron, Executive Director, Maine Lobstermen’s Association: “Recent estimates indicate that the right whale population has increased for four consecutive years as births have exceeded deaths. Mortalities have declined from the levels experienced during the population downturn that began in 2011, when right whales increasingly shifted into Canadian waters where protections were not yet adequate. Canada has since adopted significant measures to reduce right whale deaths and serious injuries. Extending the pause through 2035 would give managers the time needed to formulate decisions based on a meaningful body of data. It would support management measures that protect right whales while avoiding unnecessary harm to Maine lobstermen, their families, and the coastal communities that depend on this fishery.”

Text of the legislation is available here. Video of Congressman Golden’s remarks before the Committee today is here. 

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