New protections for endangered North Atlantic right whales could be postponed until 2035 under legislation that has garnered support from fishing and lobster industries. The bill, introduced by U.S. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-New York), cleared a key hurdle in the House Natural Resources Committee on July 15. Environmental groups express concern that the proposed delay could hasten the extinction of the whales, of which only about 380 remain.
The federal government has already placed a pause on new right whale regulations until 2028. The current bill seeks to extend this moratorium by nearly a decade. A vote by Congress is anticipated as early as this summer.
The Trump administration has publicly backed the efforts to delay new regulations. The pushback against further measures has been significant from the lobster and crab industries in New England, particularly Maine and Massachusetts. These industries argue they already adhere to stringent conservation measures and that additional regulations could threaten their livelihoods.
Golden stated that the pause is intended to allow more time for data collection on effective whale protection strategies. "Mainers are not asking for much. We just need more time," he said.
However, environmental organizations contend that the delays are occurring while whales continue to die. "They needed more protections in 2022 when Congress ignored a mountain of evidence and decided that insufficient efforts were enough," said Gib Brogan, senior campaign director with Oceana. "Now, once again, lawmakers are trying to pass the buck."
The fishing industry maintains that existing rules are sufficient and will remain in place regardless of the moratorium extension. "The current conservation framework remains fully in place, and this legislation does not weaken protections for the North Atlantic right whale," said Beth Casoni, executive director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association.
North Atlantic right whales were once abundant off the East Coast but were driven to near extinction by commercial whaling. Beyond entanglement in fishing gear and ship strikes, scientists also cite ocean warming due to climate change as a threat to the species. The whale population experienced a roughly 25% decline between 2010 and 2020, with numbers still below the approximately 480 individuals recorded in 2010, despite a slight rebound in recent years.