Governor Paul LePage Statement on the First Circuit Court of Appeals Reinstating Regulations on Right Whales

AUGUSTA, ME – Governor Paul LePage is issuing the following statement after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit reinstated regulations on lobster fishing gear:

“Janet Mills has taken the endorsement and support of those directly connected to pushing these job killing regulations against Maine’s lobstermen and women. That is wrong. These extreme Right Whale regulations will have a devastating impact on Maine’s hardworking lobstermen and women. Maine’s 4,500 commercial lobster fishermen run small businesses. Thousands upon thousands of other jobs from the marine industry to our restaurants are impacted by the lobster industry. Maine’s lobster fishery and its supply chain contribute more than $1.7 billion to Maine’s economy each year. Our lobstermen and women care deeply about protecting the environment, it is directly connected to their livelihood. These regulations needlessly increase the danger of what is already one of the most hazardous occupations in America. No whale deaths due to entanglements or ship strikes have been recorded in Maine waters since 1998. There is no evidence that making Maine’s lobstermen and women pull their lines out of the water would save even one whale.”

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