Virginia Olsen, Political Director and Executive Liaison for the Maine Lobstering Union (MLU) Local 207, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed how strict fishing regulations to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale have placed the Maine lobster industry in jeopardy.
The MLU is a division of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) District 4 and is the only association-based cooperative in the lobster industry owned and operated by Maine lobstermen.
Maine’s lobster fishing region stretches about 40 miles off the shoreline. Though right whales frequently visited the area years ago, Olsen argued the whales no longer congregate in these fishing grounds due to climate change, warming waters and the fact that their food source has moved further offshore. She made the case that restricting fishing in the area would decimate the Maine lobster industry for no good reason.
Olsen also then discussed the lobster industry’s concerns regarding offshore wind power in the Gulf of Maine and how the sounds and vibrations could impact the migration, feeding and breeding of lobsters.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.