Get Involved
Help us share the facts and advocate for collaborative solutions to end large whale entanglement.
WHY ADVOCACY MATTERS
The ocean’s common resources are shared by everyone and legislative protections prevent its destruction. North Atlantic right whales are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972) and Endangered Species Act (1973), and policies and regulations to protect them come via agencies of the federal government. Elected officials work for their constituents and we must demand better protections for whales and their ocean environment, as well as better tools for fishermen to eliminate entanglement risk. Here are some ways to help.
WRITE TO YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS
Sample Letter Text
Dear _______________,
The situation facing North Atlantic right whales off the Maine coast is dire. Since 2017 NOAA has documented more than 80 deaths and serious injuries likely to result in death. The primary culprit of these cases is fishing gear entanglement. Without serious and immediate protections for right whales, this iconic species will be functionally extinct within two decades.
Your action is critical in the following areas:
- Take steps to acknowledge and address Maine gear entanglement risk. In February 2024, a North Atlantic right whale died due to an 18 month entanglement in rope from Maine lobster gear. North Atlantic right whales are frequently sighted off the coast of Maine, and the Maine lobster fishery bears proportional responsibility for right whale entanglement risk.
- Understand and utilize current research and expert scientific advisors familiar with the extensive body of right whale research to inform Maine’s entanglement mitigation strategy.
- Invest in whale-safe fishing solutions. Support the lobster fishery’s transition to universal use of weak links and/or reduced breaking strength vertical lines, and a near-term transition to on-demand, ropeless trap retrieval technology in areas of high entanglement risk – and remove regulatory obstacles to their use. Support federal and state funding measures that guarantee fishermen and their families will not bear financial responsibility for saving right whales from extinction.
- Position Maine as a leader in the fight to save right whales, and as a model for innovative fishing technologies among our neighbors. Massachusetts and Canada are already making these moves – don’t let Maine be left behind!
With Federal and state-specific lobster gear marking launched in 2020 for Maine fishing grounds, it is only a matter of time before another right whale shows up entangled in Maine gear. Are you willing to risk further Maine fishing gear entanglements and the resulting stain on Maine’s reputation?
The extinction of the right whale may be averted if you have the courage and vision to act now. The Maine lobster fishery has the chance to become a hero in this story, and can lead among northeast fisheries in implementing fishing practices that ensure our oceans are safer for whales and other wildlife.
Respectfully,
[Your Name]
[Your Town/City], Maine
Maine Contacts
DMR Commissioner Carl Wilson
carl.wilson@maine.gov
Call (207) 633-9538
Governor Janet Mills
Email Gov. Mills
Call (207) 287-3531
Senator Angus King
Email Sen. King
Call (207) 622-8292
Senator Susan Collins
Email Sen. Collins
Call (207) 622-8414
Representative Chellie Pingree
Email Rep. Pingree
Call (207) 774-5019
Representative Jared Golden
Email Rep. Golden
Call (207) 249-7400
SUBMIT A PUBLIC COMMENT
What are public comments?
Laws are often bills passed by Congress and signed into law by the President. However, many legal requirements come from “regulations” or “rules” that are issued by agencies of the executive branch. These agencies have the authority to issue regulations, which are law. Regulations can establish significant policies and impose legal requirements for citizens, state and local governments, small businesses, and organizations.
Submitting public comments to federal agencies on their proposed regulations is an important way for Americans to influence these policies. Generally, agencies are first required to publish a proposed rule and seek comment from the public on it, often providing a window of 30 to 60 days to submit comments after a proposed rule is issued. Agencies then consider public comments submitted on their proposed rules and, in issuing any final rule, must respond to significant, relevant comments. If the agency fails to adequately respond to significant, relevant comments in a final rule, the rule can be challenged in court. In other words, agencies generally must consider the voice and perspective of public commenters in the rulemaking process.
Effective, relevant comments provide regulators with information to help them improve draft rules. Comments are typically most effective when they provide information directly relevant to the rule and its potential impact. Particularly influential public comments are often those that simply provide good reasoning and evidence or a perspective that the agency had not previously considered.
How to Write Effective Public Comments
Effective public comments often have one or more of the following characteristics:
(1) an introduction where you explain why you are interested in the regulation and highlight any experience with the subject of the rule that may distinguish your comment;
(2) a background section where you identify the relevant part of the regulation you are commenting on;
(3) information or evidence that lays out your argument — for example, how the action impacts you and what you care about; whether the agency anticipated or estimated these impacts correctly; any unintended consequences of this approach that the agency did not consider; and what additional details from the agency would help you better understand the action;
(4) recommendations describing your suggestions to the agency and identifying specific changes you would advise—for example, providing a different way of addressing the problem the agency may not have considered; and
(5) a conclusion which recaps your main argument and lists your recommendations again.
Where to find agency regulations open for public comment:
Go to the Federal Register and use the search bar on the home page. You can filter the documents to view notices or proposed rules. You can also search for a specific rule using a keyword, Regulation Identifier Number (RIN), or agency name. Agencies that commonly draft regulations related to North Atlantic right whales include NOAA Fisheries, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Ocean & Energy Management.
KNOW THE FACTS
Entanglement in fishing gear is the leading cause of injury and death for North Atlantic right whales.
- Entanglements occur when rope or mesh from fishing gear becomes wrapped around a whale’s body. Entangling lines can cause injuries that leave scars behind – these appear bright white against a whale’s black skin.
- Researchers at the New England Aquarium analyzed thousands of photographs of 833 individual North Atlantic right whales alive since 1980 and detected 1,938 entanglement events. In other words, 726/833 or > 87% of North Atlantic right whales have been entangled at least once. Many individuals get entangled multiple times in their life – some as many as nine times.
- Most of these 833 whales shed the entangling gear on their own; in 92% of the 1,938 identified entanglement events, the gear was never recovered and could be studied or linked to a particular fishery. This means that entanglements happen often, but it is rare to document a whale with attached gear that can be identified.
- Since 2017, an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) has been declared for North Atlantic right whales. The UME is due to human impacts, and 170 whales (44% of the population) have been affected. Entanglement in fishing gear is the most common threat to North Atlantic right whales in the UME.
- Some entanglements kill whales quickly through drowning, while others last for months and cause a slow and painful death. Entanglement is an unintentional brutality that should not be tolerated for any animal.
- Even if entanglement doesn’t kill a whale outright, it can cause injury and chronic stress that impacts growth, development, and reproductive success. These impacts prevent recovery and drive the population closer to extinction.
Right whale #3308 “Sierra” has extensive scarring along her tail stock and flukes from entanglement injuries. Credit: New England Aquarium under DFO Canada SARA permit.
Right whale #3346 “Kingfisher” with gear around right flipper. Some of this gear removed during disentanglement events were traced back to the Maine lobster fishery. He has not been seen since 2015 and is presumed dead. Credit: Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, taken under NOAA permit # 932-1905/MA-009526.
Entanglement is the leading cause of injury and death to North Atlantic right whales during the ongoing Unusual Mortality Event. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.
Visualizations of right whale entanglement analysis since 1980, showing trends in entanglement types and severity levels. NO GEAR refers to entanglements detected through photographic analysis of scars and GEAR refers to documentation of whales with attached gear. Credit: Right Whale Anthropogenic Injury Visualization Site/New England Aquarium.
North Atlantic right whales use the waters off Maine for feeding, breeding, and traveling.
- Through increased survey and passive acoustic monitoring efforts, right whales have been detected every month of the year in waters where Maine lobstermen fish.
- A persistent aggregation of > 90 right whales was seen off Maine in January 2025.
- Traps used in Maine's lobster fishery sit on the seafloor are retrieved with buoy/end lines, which persistently hang in the water column while the gear is deployed. Whales can become accidentally entangled in these ropes in areas where whale habitat and fishing gear overlap.
Survey effort, visual observations, and [slocum glider] acoustic detections of North Atlantic right whales, using November 2023 as an example. See WhaleMap for additional data.
Acoustic detections (from bottom-mounted recorders) of North Atlantic right whales, using November 2023 as an exmaple. See the Maine DMR Passive Acoustic Monitoring program for additional data.
Entanglement in fishing gear can be prevented AND fishermen can keep fishing.
There are several ways that fishermen can modify how they fish to protect whales from entanglement.
- State-specific gear marking allows entangling gear to be identified back to a particular fishery. This knowledge helps inform targeted regulations in the future. Since 2020/2022, rope from Maine needs purple/purple & green marks depending on how far offshore it is set. Gear marking regulations could be improved to make recovered gear identification more successful.
- Modern manufactured ropes used in commercial fishing are incredibly strong. Weak inserts are currently required in lobster buoy lines. However, fully transitioning to weak rope ( < 1,700 lb breaking strength) could help many whales break free of entangling lines so that they shed gear on their own.
- Ropeless or on-demand gear keeps vertical buoy lines out of the water column until the gear is ready to be hauled, which minimizes the overlap of whales and rope. On-demand gear could be used in right whale habitat areas to prevent entanglement. It could also be used in closed areas (like the Oct 1-Jan 31 LMA1 Restricted Area), so that fishermen can keep fishing even when whales are present.
- Maine DMR is working with lobstermen to test this gear across a range of bottom types and oceanographic conditions. Collaboration with the industry is key to put the smartest solutions in place.
- We advocate that the transition to alternative fishing gear needs to be supported by government subsidies and grants – such that fishermen do not bear the cost.
Right: example of purple and green marks required on the buoy/endline of traditional lobster gear set in offshore (federal) waters. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.
Left: examples of traditional and on-demand (ropeless) lobster trap gear. Credit: Wall Street Journal.
Want more information? See our FACT SHEET with links to the latest science.
Disentanglement responders remove rope from an entangled whale. EcoHealth Alliance, NOAA Permit #932-1905
COALITION STATEMENTS
2025 | A Letter to the Maine Delegation
The Maine Coalition for North Atlantic Right Whales sent a letter to Governor Janet Mills and the Maine congressional delegation to encourage their support of solutions that will end whale entanglements in Maine lobster gear but will also allow fishermen to keep fishing. Investing in on-demand gear, and encouraging fishermen’s involvement in its testing are necessary steps towards a sustainable fishery. The full letter can be found below.
2023 | Statement on the Maine Delegation’s Omnibus Rider
At the end of 2022, Maine Senator Susan Collins, with the backing of the rest of Maine’s congressional delegation and governor, attached a rider to the Omnibus spending bill granting a six-year delay on new lobster/crab pot fishing regulations to prevent right whale and other large whale entanglements… While this action has been celebrated as a “well-deserved break” for fishermen, the delay presents a serious threat to the future of the right whale and may put Maine fishermen at a competitive disadvantage in the long run.
2021 | A Letter to the Maine Delegation
The Maine Coalition for North Atlantic Right Whales sent a letter to Governor Janet Mills and the Maine congressional delegation in early October of 2021 sharing our concerns about misinformation on right whales in Maine, especially in regards to right whale entanglement and the Maine lobster fishery. The full letter can be found below.
JOIN THE COALITION
Are you a Maine resident who is passionate about right whale conservation and sustainable fisheries? Email us for more information on how to join the Maine Coalition for North Atlantic Right Whales.
Aphrodite (Catalog #1701) was one of the right whale moms of the 2022-23 calving season. She has experienced five known entanglements in her lifetime. Photo via New England Aquarium.
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Maine Coalition for North Atlantic Right Whales
The mission of the of the Maine Coalition for North Atlantic Right Whales is to provide accurate information about critically endangered right whales and support policies to save them.