PORTLAND (AP) — Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree says the Coast Guard has rescinded a rule that prohibited lobstermen from fishing the waters around a remote Maine island.
Pingree said Wednesday that Coast Guard officials told her they withdrew a rule that went into effect last week that made waters around Seal Island off-limits because of unexploded ordnance from the days when the Navy used the island as an aerial bombing range.
Pingree said the Coast Guard withdrew the rule because the risk is unknown and the economic impact on fishermen is greater than first thought.
Seal Island is located 20 miles off the Maine coast and is fished by more than 30 lobstermen from nearby Vinalhaven. The Navy used the island as a bombing range from the 1940s until the early 1960s.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.