ELLSWORTH — New rules for fishing gear intended to protect whales, set to go into effect June 1, include adding special marks to buoy lines on gear set outside a Maine exemption line.

The rules are part of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction program. They were announced in the summer of 2014 to give fishermen plenty of time to make adjustments.

Most of Maine state waters are inside the exemption line designated in the rule. But any lobster gear set outside that line must have vertical lines marked at the top, middle and bottom with 12-inch red marks.

Read the full story at Ellsworth American>>

Want to read more about northern right whales? Click here…