Lawmakers using spending bill to delay lobster restrictions

By DAVID SHARP
Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s congressional delegation is using a federal spending bill to delay new lobster fishing restrictions aimed at helping endangered whales. An amendment to the $1.7 trillion spending package unveiled early Tuesday would leave existing lobster fishing rules in place for six years, thwarting stricter regulations aimed at protecting North Atlantic right whales, which are vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gear. The Conservation Law Foundation and several other environmental organizations decried the amendment, which was led by Maine’s delegation. A federal judge previously delayed new lobster fishing restrictions until 2024 to give the government time to craft them. The congressional proposal would extend the status quo until the end of 2028.