A group of Nantucket residents filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Management and others, claiming federal officials did not adequately consider the adverse effects on the North Atlantic Right whale and other marine life.
Critically endangered North Atlantic right whales are increasing their presence in waters south of Martha’s Vineyard, according to a recent study, including large swaths of ocean slated for wind energy development.
A small group of North Atlantic right whales, including a mother and calf, were photographed on Sunday swimming about 20 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard.
State fishing regulators overwhelmingly approved a first-of-its-kind seasonal lobstering ban to protect the North Atlantic right whale on Thursday — but exempted Vineyard.
A public comment period has opened on a slate of new proposed federal lobster and crab pot regulations as a last-ditch regulatory campaign to save North Atlantic right whales continues.
With the North Atlantic right whale population at a dangerously low ebb, the state Division of Marine Fisheries is proposing a statewide seasonal ban on lobstering.
The North Atlantic right whale has officially been red-listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature — an ominous step for a species that has long teetered on the brink of extinction.
A federal judge has ruled that the government agency charged with protecting the near-extinct marine mammals violated the Endangered Species Act in 2014.
