BOSTON (AP) — Federal officials will meet with fishermen and other members of the public in Massachusetts to talk about possible changes to rules designed to protect vulnerable whales.
North Atlantic right whales number only about 400. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is looking for comments on new management options.
The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday night in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
NOAA has held similar meetings this summer in Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine. The eighth meeting is scheduled for Wednesday in Bourne, Massachusetts.
Among the changes, a federal team has called for a reduction of the vertical trap lines in the Gulf of Maine to reduce risk to North Atlantic right whales.
Right whales have suffered high mortality and poor reproduction in recent years, particularly in 2017.
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