Humans are the biggest threat to right whales today. Maine's Congressional Delegation should be leading, not obstructing, its protection. Image: Tatsuro
This is outrageous.
On Wednesday, the Maine Congressional Delegation put the fate of endangered North Atlantic right whales in the hands of President Trump – a president intent on exploiting our oceans and rolling back critical environmental protections.
Earlier this week, three right whales were found entangled in fishing ropes. Another six were found dead last month. With barely 400 right whales remaining on Earth, every loss threatens an entire species key to New England’s ocean health.
Humans are the biggest threat to right whales’ survival. Maine’s Congressional Delegation should be leading the charge to save this iconic species. Instead, they have asked President Trump to stop any new regulations that would protect right whales from deadly fishing gear.
The Maine Congressional Delegation’s callous disregard for the survival of this species puts these whales in immediate danger – and it undermines the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, two key laws that safeguard our wildlife from the harms of human activity.
Right whales are New England’s iconic whale – but they won’t be for much longer if our leaders continue to ignore the perils they face.
Maine’s members of Congress need to hear from you that our fishing industry and our whales can co-exist. But to do so, they must lead in finding solutions, not obstruct progress.
We’re running out of time to save this species from extinction – let’s not allow our elected officials to sacrifice right whales to score political points now.
Thank you for standing up for New England’s whale. We’ll keep fighting alongside you every step of the way.
