Endangered whale protections may be delayed to 2035 under Trump-backed plan
The plan would give regulators more time to craft rules that are less burdensome to fishing fleets, while critics warn it favors industry over endangered whales.
- The White House released a memo Friday saying it "strongly supports" Rep. Jared Golden's proposal to delay federal whale protections until 2035, with President Donald Trump's senior advisors recommending he sign the bill if Congress passes it.
- Roughly 380 whales remain in the North Atlantic, where they face risks from fishing ropes and ship strikes; the species, federally protected for more than 50 years, remains critically endangered despite slow recovery efforts.
- Golden claims previous regulations relied on "flawed science," arguing a delay allows the government to "get the science right," while John Drouin of the New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association said the legislation ensures "long-term stability of American fisheries."
- California-Based environmental groups oppose the delay, arguing that reducing human-caused injuries is essential to recovery as the population fell by roughly a quarter from 2010 to 2020 with slow recent gains.
- This year's birthing season produced 23 mother-calf pairs, the most since 2009, though animals have strayed from protected zones in recent years while searching for food as oceans warmed; officials previously paused new rules until 2028.
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Trump backs Golden bill to extend lobster regulation moratorium
Researchers catch lobsters as part of long-term ecosystem survey in Maine. (Photo courtesy of GMRI.org)President Donald Trump said he supports a bill from Democratic U.S. Rep.Jared Golden to extend the pause on federal lobster rules. Last month, Golden introduced a bill to continue shielding Maine lobstermen from new regulations to protect North Atlantic right whales until 2035. “The need to protect Maine’s iconic lobster industry knows no par…
White House Expresses Support for Effort to Extend Moratorium on Lobster Industry Regulations Pertaining to Right Whale Through 2035
The White House has expressed support for making the moratorium on new regulations pertaining to North Atlantic Right Whale valid through 2035. Friday afternoon, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a State of Administration Policy backing a bill Rep. Jared Golden’s (D) bill extending the current regulatory moratorium by seven years. The original [...] The post White House Expresses Support for Effort to Extend Moratorium on Lobster …
Associated Press News
Endangered whale protections may be delayed to 2035 under Trump-backed plan
President Donald Trump's administration supports a proposal to delay rules to protect a vanishing species of whale in favor of commercial fishing interests.
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