News Summary July 17, 2026
Today's Top Story: House Committee Advances Bill to Delay Right Whale Gear Regulations for Lobster Fishery Until 2035
Kicking things off today, the House Natural Resources Committee advanced the Northeast Lobstermen Protection Act on a 22-13 bipartisan vote, extending the current moratorium on new right whale gear entanglement rules for the lobster fishery through 2035. Supporters, including Maine DMR Commissioner Carl Wilson, argue more time is needed to gather the data that should underpin any rulemaking, while Oceana counters that at least 31 right whales have been killed or injured in entanglements since the first delay passed in 2022, with roughly 380 animals remaining in the population. The bill now heads to the full House...
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