
Following the recent controversy over lobster fishing gear entangling right whales, Maine congressmen have put forth a bill that would halt federal funding from going to the Aquarium and MBRI. This comes after the aquarium's seafood watch program has uplisted Maine Lobster to red (do not buy/eat) status. The lobster fishermen who rely on lobsters for their income are understandably angry, however I expect the bill will die in committee and never make it to vote.
Monterey Bay Aquarium could lose millions in federal dollars from new bill
No, the aquarium is telling people to not buy lobsters or eat at places that serve lobsters as lobster traps have killed Right Whales in the past, lobster fishermen are angry over it saying that their traps do not cause deaths of Right Whales and want the government to remove funding from Monterey Bay Aquarium, which will not happen as the aquarium has done nothing wrongI'm confused, so is the Monterey Bay Aquarium sponsoring right whale deaths?
I'm confused, so is the Monterey Bay Aquarium sponsoring right whale deaths?
Lots of work being done on the kelp forest tank. About half of the mock rock on the left side is gone and lots of kelp no longer there. There were many signs saying they are improving the tank.
The tentacles exhibit has been covered up with black curtains.
Just curious, did you see any Pacific Hagfish in Into the Deep? I saw earlier this week they got taken off the Exhibit species list on the site but nothing has replaced them yet to my knowledgeI was there earlier this week. There was a diver in the kelp forest exhibit doing some kind of work on the rocks.
From the Articles and newsclips I've seen, there's nothing they've mentioned to back up their claims. They just mention that it'll hurt their income, which while true, doesn't back up any of their claims that the equipment doesn't harm the whalesIs the fishermans’ claim that their lobster traps do not harm right whales a blatant lie? Or do they have any supporting evidence?
Is the fishermans’ claim that their lobster traps do not harm right whales a blatant lie? Or do they have any supporting evidence?
The claim by the lobster industry in Maine is that most of the entanglements and resulting deaths of NARW don't come from Maine lobster traps. The industry is claiming that by red-listing Maine lobster, the aquarium is punishing the Maine lobster industry over something that the industry claims is not their fault.
From my understanding, however, is that MBA/SeaFood Watch aren't placing blame on Maine-specific traps alone, but are red-listing the entire practice altogether across the US and Canada. So the aquarium is not specifically targeting Maine fishermen/lobster pots. They aren't saying that "all the whales are dying from Maine's lobster industry."
Lobster is extremely political in the Northeast - heck, even one of Maine's senators, Angus King passed a resolution to support the creation of a lobster emoji. The listing would impact Maine, it wasn't Maine-specific.