Eat a Lobster, Kill a Whale?

Federal regulators in the US recently presented (what they say is) evidence to lobstermen from Canada and the US that many tools of the lobster trade are harmful to whale populations, including the northern right whale, which is among the most endangered species in the world.

At the Fisherman’s Forum in Rockland, Maine, the government presented rope, buoys, and other (lobster) fishing gear that they say they removed from entangled whales.

The demonstration was met with mixed reaction from lobstermen. Some agree. Some completely disagree that the gear has been properly identified. And others are inclined to see some gray area: e.g., some believe the gear belongs to pleasure cruise operators, not commercial fisherman.

And some lobstermen believe they’re being unfairly called out, claiming that they are actually at the center of conservation, going above and beyond the call of duty to disentangle trapped whales.

All of this comes just a month before US lobstermen will be required to change from floating to sinking traps, a controversial demand that many see as both too costly and ultimately ineffective.