Maine’s congressional delegation is behind a bill to help Maine lobstermen purchase gear they need to comply with federal North Atlantic right whale protection regulations.

U.S. Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, said they introduced the bill Tuesday. It is being co-sponsored by Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine.

The bill would authorize up to $10 million in grants to fishermen in 2022, and a yet-to-be-determined amount in fiscal years 2023 and 2024.

The federal government’s Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan rule will cost Maine lobstermen and women at least $45 million to acquire specialized rope, marking gear and other equipment, according to the Maine Lobstermen’s Association.

Attempts to reach association Executive Director Patrice McCarron for comment about the proposed legislation were unsuccessful Tuesday.

But in a statement issued by Collins and Golden, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association says there have been no documented right whale deaths attributed to Maine’s lobster industry, and there hasn’t been an entanglement caused by Maine lobstermen in nearly two decades.

“Maine lobstermen and women have always been good stewards of the environment and have taken numerous actions to protect right whales when the science has warranted it,” Collins said in a statement. “As NOAA  (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association) moves ahead with this rule despite the Maine’s delegation urging against it, our legislation would help alleviate the financial burden our lobstermen and women face. We must ensure that this heritage industry has the assistance it needs to continue to support coastal families and communities for generations to come.”

“While the funding authorized in this bill is far from a comprehensive solution, it would begin to help lobstermen cover the cost of complying with these misguided regulations,” Golden said. “This bill would not be necessary if this administration or its predecessor had fought these regulations in court and in their federal agencies. Since they failed to do so, it is essential to provide this funding to help Maine lobstermen.”

King said Maine’s lobstering community have set the gold standard for creating and maintaining a sustainable fishery. He said the least Congress can do is provide funding that will help the fishing community adjust to new regulations.

Pingree said the challenges posed by the pandemic combined with “burdensome new regulations” require that Congress support Maine’s lobster industry.

Last month, Maine Gov. Janet Mills and all four members of Maine’s delegation asked the U.S. secretary of commerce to delay a May 1 deadline for the state’s lobster industry to deploy whale-friendly fishing gear, including weak ropes and links.

Maine’s political leaders said the May 1 deadline will be impossible for some lobstermen to meet because the equipment is expensive and hard to procure. They are seeking a delay of 60 days.

“The economic harm imposed by the gear conversion deadline will be severe, and the scarcity of required gear is making it difficult – if not impossible – for lobstermen to achieve timely compliance,” Maine’s representatives said in their letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

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