right whales

BOSTON - The federal government is extending three protective zones designed to help endangered whales until late March. The protective areas are intended to protect North Atlantic right whales from ship strikes, which can be fatal.

The annual Maine Fishermen's Forum is underway in Rockport, where the intertwined fates of lobstermen and endangered North Atlantic right whales are a hot topic.

Maine's top fisheries regulator is telling his federal counterparts the state's lobster fleet deserves more credit for its efforts to reduce the risk of fishing gear entanglements with the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Federal fisheries regulators are saying that Maine's proposed lobster gear rules, which were designed to reduce the risk to endangered North Atlantic right whales, don't go far enough.

Maine's congressional delegation is trying to up the pressure on federal fisheries regulators to look beyond the state's lobster industry when seeking to reduce threats to the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Court papers say a federal government plan to protect the endangered right whale is snarled in delays and won't likely be available for public comment until the summer. 

Representatives of Maine's lobster industry are taking issue with the state’s proposal to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale from entanglements in their gear.

Conservationists say a third right whale calf has been spotted off the southeastern United States, giving them hope for the jeopardized species this winter.

Maine’s congressional delegation wants more information from the federal government before ocean managers release a new plan designed to protect endangered whales.

An international group of scientists, conservationists, fisheries managers and others are gathered in Portland this week for the annual meeting of what's called the North Atlantic right whale Consortium.

The Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) has voted to not support the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) right whale conservation plan.