STATEWIDE -- The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill extending a pause on new right whale regulations. Supporters say the delay protects Maine's fishing industry, but conservationists warn it further threatens the endangered species.
A bill aimed at shielding local fisheries from new right whale regulations is one step closer to becoming law.
Rep. Jared golden co-sponsored the Northeast Lobstermen Protection Act, which was passed by the U.S. House on Tuesday. The bill would extend a pause on new right whale regulations through 2035.
"It's an opportunity to protect hardworking people, and our marine resources economy, pure and simple," Golden said on the House floor on Tuesday. "Our efforts are already working and yet somehow these fishermen face the threat of crushing new regulations over and over and over again."
The moratorium was originally enacted in 2022 in response to proposals for more gear modifications.
"It was really critical for us to get the initial pause because we were facing a risk reduction that we really just couldn't meet," said Virginia Olsen, Director of the Maine Lobstering Union and fifth-generation commercial fishermen.
Proposed regulations like ropeless gear create major safety threats for mariners, according to Stonington's Virginia Olsen.
"We use that line to get a fishermen back on board if they're entangled, those are all really important things for us," Olsen said. "We have added more traps onto a line, adding more traps onto a line makes it heavier, makes it more pressure, that really endangers our fishermen but they did it because they felt it was the right thing to do."
With fewer than 400 North Atlantic Right Whales left, conservationist warn improved fishing gear regulations are essential for the species survival.
Erica Fuller, Senior Counsel at Conservation Law Foundation, said entanglements in fishing gear are a leading cause of death for these critically endangered whales and argues the bill will further delay vital protections.
"For Congress to decide to now add another 8 years would really put all of the progress that's happened to date backwards," said Fuller.
Olsen emphasized that current protections remain in place. The pause is strictly a temporary freeze on new rules, buying time for deeper research.
"There needs to be a balance, we need to be able to save our coastal towns, the infrastructure that we have in these fishing communities, and the whales and I think that's a very doable thing," said Olsen.
President Donald Trump endorsed the bill in May.
The bill now heads to the Senate.