House passes Golden-Lawler bill to protect Maine lobstermen from burdensome new right whale regulations until 2035

WASHINGTON — Maine’s lobstermen and the communities they support would get an extended reprieve from onerous new regulations related to the North Atlantic right whale until 2035 under a bill spearheaded by Congressmen Jared Golden (ME-02) and Mike Lawler (NY-17), which passed the House of Representatives in bipartisan 219-196 vote on Tuesday. 

The Golden-Lawler bill, The Northeast Lobstermen Protection Act, now goes to the Senate.  

“This bill is a big win not only for fishermen in Maine, but for bipartisanship in Congress,” said Golden, whose district hosts the largest lobster fishery in the United States. “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. I’m grateful to Rep. Lawler for recognizing an injustice to working men and women and joining me to correct it.” 

“While this legislation is particularly important to Maine’s fishing communities, the Northeast lobster industry supports small businesses and hardworking families far beyond the coastline, including restaurants here in New York. Fishermen have spent years adapting to conservation requirements and deserve regulatory certainty instead of constantly shifting rules that threaten their ability to operate and plan for the future. I’m grateful to Congressman Jared Golden for his partnership on this bipartisan effort and to the Natural Resources Committee for their support. We are proud to see this bill pass the House,” 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The moratorium was originally enacted in 2022 under President Joe Biden, with bipartisan support from the entire Maine delegation and Maine Gov.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. It was made necessary after the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in 2021 issued an opinion using “worst-case scenarios,” assumptions and poor data that led to regulatory proposals for more gear modifications, such as ropeless gear, and area closures, threatening the future of Maine’s lobster fishery. 

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. 

In the meantime, Maine lobstermen have done their part to reduce the likelihood of entanglements. Over the past 20 years, they have removed many vertical lines from the water by putting more traps on each line; added breakaways to fishing lines to ensure that if it comes into contact with a whale or other large animal comes into contact, it breaks; limited the diameter of vertical lines; and switched to sinking groundlines, among other new practices. 

Despite the worst-case projections from advocates for industry-killing regulations, including the potential of fishery closures, data from NOAA suggests that from 2009 through 2018, the number of serious injuries or deaths to North Atlantic right whales that could be attributed to entanglements from American fishing gear was just 0.2 annually. 

“We don’t have to choose between a lobster industry that is the lifeblood of communities in Maine and protecting the right whale,” Golden said. “The truth is we can do both. Maine fishermen are already proving it.” 

The Golden-Lawler bill drew support from Maine state agencies, northeast fishermen and organizations representing Maine’s lobster industry, including: Maine Department of Marine Resources, 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. Earlier this year President Donald Trump signaled his support for the proposed extension.

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