Previous story: Maine slams Seafood Watch’s ‘red list’ attack on lobster industryįederal regulators have remained firm in their stance on the threat the lobster fishery poses to the right whale population. A federal appeals court heard arguments two weeks ago on that lawsuit, according to Bangor Daily News. The Maine Lobster Association and other groups previously filed a suit last year in federal court against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that implemented those regulations, as well. They reiterated that point in their lawsuit filed Monday. Maine lobstermen have challenged the regulations, arguing no data exists to show a right whale has been harmed or killed by entanglement with Maine lobster ropes in 18 years. Members of the lobster industry have said regulations related to the right whale have been crippling for the fishery. Those have included color-coded ropes and the use of ropes that break when making contact with a whale to prevent entanglement. The lobster fishery had been under increasingly strict regulations in the years leading up to the boycott by Seafood Watch. ‘Wicked Tuna’: Seabrook woman reels in monster catch in TV debut Maine lobster industry fights back “There is no evidence supporting the aquarium’s statements about the Maine lobster fishery.” “This is not ‘science,’ it is conjecture,” the suit states. They point to aquarium statements on documented entanglements from 2015 to 2019 involving trap gear that are “attributed to unknown fisheries, of which the lobster fishery may be a part.”

They also challenge the language used by the aquarium they say is not definitive proof that the lobster fishery is to blame for right whale deaths.

They allege that the aquarium relies heavily on Canadian entanglement data that is “irrelevant” to Maine lobstermen.

The lawsuit alleges the aquarium has ignored statistical trends, “skews facts” and misrepresents data regarding the right whale.

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