A Win for Right Whales Hurt by Lobster Fishing
A Fishes Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM Center for Biological Diversity
March 2020

A court said the National Marine Fisheries Service acted illegally by not taking steps to protect the whales from entanglement in commercial lobster lines, which cause injuries and death.

North Atlantic Right Whales

Right whales — so called because they were once thought the "right whales" to kill — are the rarest whales in the world. Only about 400 North Atlantic right whales remain.

The Center for Biological Diversity and allies just won an important victory for this rapidly declining population.

A court said the National Marine Fisheries Service acted illegally by not taking steps to protect the whales from entanglement in commercial lobster lines, which cause injuries and death.

"Right whales have been getting tangled up and killed in lobster gear for far too long," said Kristen Monsell, the Center's oceans legal director. "This decision sends a clear signal that federal officials must protect these desperately endangered animals."

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