Rare whale died of chronic entanglement in Maine fishing gear
Federal authorities say a rare whale found dead off Massachusetts earlier this year died as a result of entanglement in Maine lobster fishing gear
PORTLAND, Maine — A rare whale found dead off Massachusetts earlier this year died as a result of entanglement in Maine lobster fishing gear, federal authorities said.
The North Atlantic right whale was found dead off Martha's Vineyard in January. The whales are declining in population and are at the center of efforts to more tightly regulate shipping and commercial fishing off the East Coast.
A necropsy determined that the whale died from “chronic entanglement” in gear that was earlier determined to be consistent with the kind of rope used in Maine's lobster fishery, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday. NOAA said a law enforcement investigation into the whale's death remains open.
The right whales number less than 360 and they have experienced high mortality in recent years. The death of the whale reignited a longstanding debate between environmentalists and commercial fishermen about the need to more tightly regulate lobster fishing.
The right whales, which can weigh 150,000 pounds (68,000 kilograms), are vulnerable to lethal entanglement in the ropes commonly used in lobster fishing that connect lobster traps to surface buoys.
“Dying this way is a horrendous fate that no creature deserves, but it’ll happen again and again until we get these deadly fishing ropes out of the water," said Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director for the Center for Biological Diversity.
Members of the industry said Thursday they have made strides to avoid the whales and have largely succeeded. The vast majority of America's lobster catch comes to the docks in Maine,
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