Maine lobstermen and women face a setback after the First Circuit reinstated a seasonal ban on certain fishing equipment to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales.
The lower court “misapprehended the record and over-stepped its role” when it rejected the federal government’s findings in support of its rule barring the use of lobster fishing with buoy lines, according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Although “there are serious stakes on both sides, Congress has placed its thumb on the scale for the whales,” the court said Tuesday.
The Maine Lobstering Union and lobster companies sued after ...