Fishing groups push to postpone protections for endangered right whale to 2035
The North Atlantic
right whale
numbers only about 370 and has declined over the last 15 years. They have been the subject of proposed federal fishing laws that are backed by conservation groups because the whales are threatened by lethal entanglement in commercial fishing gear.
The federal government is in the midst of a pause on federal right whale rules until 2028. Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine and a coalition of fishing organizations said in letters to congressional officials that they want to extend that moratorium out to 2035.
Golden, who played a role in the initial moratorium, said extending the pause would give the government the time it needs to craft regulations that reflect science. He also said it would protect Maine's lifesblood lobster fishing industry, which is one of the fishing sectors that would have to comply with rules intended to protect right whales.
'Maine's lobster fishery has most recently been valued at more than half a billion dollars — and that's just the value of the catch. It also supports tens of thousands of jobs. It is an iconic part of our state's economy, heritage and appeal to visitors,' Golden said in a July 22 letter to a subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee.
The extension of the moratorium was originally proposed by Alaska Republican Nick Begich. It's one of several changes to the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act proposed by Begich, who like Golden represents a state with a large commercial fishing industry.
The changes have drawn condemnation from environmental organizations and praise from commercial fishing groups. A group of fishing organizations including the Maine Lobstermen's Association said in a July 21 letter to the subcommittee that 'heavy regulation comes at a heavy cost.'
The whales were once numerous off the East Coast, but they were decimated during the era of commercial whaling and have been slow to recover. They are also threatened by
collisions
with large ships.
The
population
of the whales fell about 25% from 2010 to 2020.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
24 minutes ago
- NBC News
ICE efforts to poach local officers are angering some local law enforcement leaders
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is newly flush with billions from the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' spending legislation and under pressure to rapidly hire 10,000 new agents. But one tactic it recently tried to do that hiring — aggressively recruiting new agents from some of its most trusted local law enforcement partners — may have alienated some of the leaders it needs to help execute what the Trump administration wants to be the largest mass deportation in US history. 'We're their force multipliers, and this is the thanks we get for helping them do their job?' Polk County, Florida Sheriff Grady Judd said in an interview with NBC News. Judd said he's not happy about a recruitment email sent by ICE's deputy director to hundreds of his deputies and he blamed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees ICE. 'Kristi Noem needs to get on her big girl pants and do what's right. She needs to make sure that there's an apology,' said Judd, who also made clear that he wants to 'support President [Donald] Trump's mission.' NBC News spoke to local law enforcement leaders in four states whose agencies participate in 287(g) and whose deputies were being targeted for ICE recruitment. The recruitment email those agencies' officers received, sent earlier this week, appears to have targeted law enforcement officers whose agencies participate in ICE's 287(g) program, under which local officers are deputized to help in immigration enforcement. The email from Sheahan, which NBC News has obtained, reads in part, 'As someone who is currently supporting ICE through the 287(g) program, you understand the unique responsibility we carry in protecting our communities and upholding federal law. Your experience in state or local law enforcement brings invaluable insight and skills to this mission —qualities we need now more than ever.' The email also touts potential $50,000 signing bonuses as an incentive for joining ICE and links to a government recruitment website featuring an image of Uncle Sam, the headline 'AMERICA NEEDS YOU,' and the possibility of up to $60,000 in student loan repayment beyond those signing bonuses. 'ICE actively trying to use our partnership to recruit our personnel is wrong and we have expressed our concern to ICE leadership,' the Pinellas County, Florida Sheriff's Office said in a statement to NBC News. The sheriff in Pinellas County is a Republican, as is Polk County's Judd. 'It was bad judgement that will cause an erosion of a relationship that has been improving of late. And it's going to take some getting over and it's gonna take leadership at DHS to really take stock cause hey, they need state and locals,' Jonathan Thompson, the executive director and CEO of the National Sheriffs' Association, said in an interview with NBC News. Thompson said that the association has heard from more than a dozen law enforcement agencies about the recruitment emails. He also said that the group has not heard from DHS since the emails were flagged to the association, and that he intends to send a 'very stern note' to ICE. 'This is inappropriate behavior of a partner organization,' Thompson said. 'We're all on the same boat. And you just don't treat friends or partners like this.' One Florida chief of police who did not want to be named out of concern his department could face retaliation said departments that have partnered with the federal government now fear they could lose their best officers. 'Now you know why everybody's so pissed,' the chief said. 'This is like the transfer portal in college sports,' the chief said, adding, 'We see people leave us because they believe they can make more money at other locations… Law enforcement has always been a calling. Now it's a job.' The DHS press office did not respond to questions about local law enforcement concerns but provided NBC News with a statement that it attributed to a senior DHS official: 'ICE is recruiting law enforcement, veterans, and other patriots who want to serve their country … This includes local law enforcement, veterans, and our 287(g) partners who have already been trained and have valuable law enforcement experience. Additionally, more than $500 million from President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill will go to increasing our 287(g) partnerships with state and local law enforcement.' The sheriff's office in Forsyth County, Georgia told NBC News that the Atlanta ICE office 'sent an apology' for the recruitment email. Not all sheriffs are upset with the recruitment effort. In fact some say they support it. Thaddeus Cleveland, the sheriff of Terrell County, Texas, said, 'I think if someone wants to better their life, better their career, you know, look towards the long years, the long game, retirement, there's nothing better than the US government to go out and have a successful career.' Cleveland, who has just four deputies on his staff, admits he can't compete with the $50,000 bonuses that the agency is offering. 'We may not be able to turn around and hire somebody the next day. It may take a few weeks. It may take a few months. But again, I support, you know, someone wanting to pursue something they're interested in. I may end up having to work a little more, which is okay.' Goliad County Texas Sheriff Roy Boyd also said he's not upset about the recruitment, and noted that his office also has to deal with the state recruiting new troopers from his department. 'We can't compete with the salaries of the state and the feds,' he said.
37 minutes ago
A look at colleges with federal money targeted by the Trump administration
Several elite U.S. colleges have made deals with President Donald Trump's administration, offering concessions to his political agenda and financial payments to restore federal money that had been withheld. Ivy League schools Columbia, Brown and the University of Pennsylvania reached agreements to resolve federal investigations. The Republican administration is pressing for more, citing the deal it negotiated with Columbia as a 'road map' for other colleges. There is a freeze on billions of dollars of research money for other colleges including Harvard, which has been negotiating with the White House even as it fights in court over the lost grants. Like no other president, Trump has used the government's control over federal research funding to push for changes in higher education, decrying elite colleges as places of extreme liberal ideology and antisemitism. Here's a look at universities pressured by the administration's funding cuts. Columbia said July 23 it had agreed to a $200 million fine to restore federal funding. The school was threatened with the potential loss of billions of dollars in government support, including more than $400 million in grants canceled earlier this year. The administration pulled the money because of what it described as Columbia's failure to address antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war. Columbia agreed to administration demands such as overhauling its student disciplinary process and applying a federally backed definition of antisemitism to teaching and a disciplinary committee investigating students critical of Israel. Federal officials said the fine will go to the Treasury Department and cannot be spent until Congress appropriates it. Columbia also agreed to pay $21 million into a compensation fund for employees who may have faced antisemitism. The deal includes a clause that Columbia says preserves its independence, putting in writing that the government does not have the authority to dictate 'hiring, admission decisions, or the content of academic speech.' An agreement Wednesday calls for Brown to pay $50 million to Rhode Island workforce development organizations. That would restore dozens of lost federal research grants and end investigations into allegations of antisemitism and racial bias in Brown admissions. Among other concessions, Brown agreed to adopt the government's definition of 'male' and 'female' and remove any consideration of race from the admissions process. Like the settlement with Columbia, Brown's does not include a finding of wrongdoing. It includes a provision saying the government does not have authority to dictate Brown's curriculum or 'the content of academic speech.' Under a July agreement resolving a federal civil rights case, Penn modified a trio of school records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and said it would apologize to female athletes 'disadvantaged' by Thomas' participation on the women's swimming team. The Education Department investigated Penn as part of the administration's broader attempt to remove transgender athletes from girls and women's sports. As part of the case, the administration had suspended $175 million in funding to Penn. The administration has frozen more than $2.6 billion in research grants to Harvard, accusing the nation's oldest and wealthiest university of allowing antisemitism to flourish. Harvard has pushed back with several lawsuits. In negotiations for a possible settlement, the administration is seeking for Harvard to pay an amount far higher than Columbia. The White House announced in April that it froze more than $1 billion of Cornell's federal funding as it investigated allegations of civil rights violations. The Ivy League school was among a group of more than 60 universities that received a letter from the Education Department on March 10 urging them to take steps to protect Jewish students or else face 'potential enforcement actions.' Like Cornell, Northwestern saw a halt in some of its federal funding in April. The amount was about $790 million, according to the administration. The administration this week froze $108 million in federal money for Duke. The hold on funding from the National Institutes of Health came days after the departments of Health and Human Services and Education sent a joint letter alleging racial preferences in Duke's hiring and admissions. Dozens of research grants were suspended at Princeton without a clear rationale, according to an April 1 campus message from the university's president, Christopher Eisgruber. The grants came from federal agencies such as the Department of Energy, NASA and the Pentagon. ___
Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Blackburn, Carr aide headed back to K Street
With Daniel Lippman FIRST IN PI — SUSSKIND JOINING ACG: Jamie Susskind, a tech policy veteran who most recently served as Sen. Marsha Blackburn's legislative director, is returning to K Street, where she'll be a partner at ACG Advocacy. — Susskind has spent the past four years working alongside the Tennessee Republican as Blackburn was at the forefront of some of the Hill's recent tech policy fights — including over the artificial intelligence moratorium in the reconciliation bill and kids' online safety. Before joining Blackburn's office, Susskind was vice president of policy and regulatory affairs at the Consumer Technology Association and worked at the FCC, where she served as chief of staff to current Chair Brendan Carr. — One of the biggest factors that drew Susskind to ACG was the reputation of the firm's intellectual property practice, she said. (Editor's note: ACG lobbies for POLITICO's parent company, Axel Springer, on copyright issues, according to disclosure filings.) — Blackburn has been a leader on AI copyright bills, due in part to the senator's close ties to the entertainment industry back in Tennessee. 'The intersection of AI and intellectual property has been a big thing, and I know that ACG has been very engaged on those issues, so I'm hopeful I can continue doing that and working with the creative community on those issues,' Susskind told PI. — Susskind also envisions helping ACG's clients navigate Carr's FCC as the agency — and its outspoken leader — work through how to tackle a range of ever-evolving technologies. 'I'm hopeful that … I can work with clients to give them an understanding of where the Carr office might fall on things, what the commission might do, what the different options are,' she said. Happy Thursday and welcome to PI. Send tips, questions, complaints: Add me on Signal at caitlinoprysko.17, email me at coprysko@ and be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko. SELLING THE MEGABILL: 'The conservative group Americans for Prosperity is launching a $6 million campaign to support messaging in support of the megabill, including digital and TV ad buys, touting some of the bill's popular provisions,' POLITICO's Andrew Howard scoops. — The ad buy comes as lawmakers trickle back home for the August recess, where they will work to sell the domestic policy law — which the Koch-backed group previously pledged $20 million in spending to get over the finish line — by promoting its extension of tax breaks and funding for immigration enforcement while beating back attacks on issues like the bill's Medicaid cuts. The campaign 'includes a new 30-second spot that touts 'growing our economy' and 'keeping our country safe,' as well as events with lawmakers across the country' during the recess. LEANING INTO MAHA: The leading trade group for the medical device industry is hitching its wagon to the Make America Healthy Again movement popularized by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as part of a new six-figure public affairs campaign launched this week. — The campaign from AdvaMed featured a full-page ad in Wednesday's Washington Times as well as an op-ed from CEO Scott Whitaker heralding the ways medtech can help with Kennedy's mission to drastically cut down on chronic disease in America. — While Kennedy's quest is rooted in deep skepticism of corporate power over both health and nutrition policy, the secretary has also called for a greater embrace of wearable health technology. Meanwhile at a White House summit Wednesday, President Donald Trump tasked dozens of tech and health companies with creating a nationwide network with which patients can access and track health records, which won plaudits from AdvaMed. — But the medtech industry has been raising alarms for months about the potential impacts of Trump's tariff policies, which Whitaker told Congress this spring could snarl the industry's fragile supply chains and end up increasing costs for one of the industry's biggest customers: the federal government. — Whitaker told PI today that there were several promising developments on trade over the past few weeks, but he has stressed the need for 'flexibility' for the industry, as well as speedier Food and Drug Administration approvals and improved reimbursement from programs like Medicare and Medicaid. — 'Our mission is — and always has been — to help make Americans healthy, and it is the core of what we do as medtech across so many different categories of care,' Whitaker said in an interview. As for the timing of the campaign, 'it struck me as a good time to remind public policy makers about who we are, what medtech does, and what value it brings to a healthier society,' he added. GOLDMAN TAPS NEW CHIEF LOBBYIST: 'Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s chief global lobbyist, Michael Paese, is moving on after 16 years and will be replaced by a lifelong Republican at the helm of a team pushing the Wall Street bank's policy goals on the Trump administration,' Bloomberg's Todd Gillespie reports. — 'Paese, a 58-year-old former Democratic lawyer, will be succeeded by Michael Thompson, who worked for two Republican senators and a congressman from the party earlier in his career. The change comes at a time when banks are pushing for lighter regulation from President Donald Trump's administration, which has pledged to ease their capital requirements but also announced tariffs that have roiled markets.' — Thompson joined Goldman in 2010 and most recently served as a managing director and the bank's head of U.S. government affairs. Before that, he worked for the financial services-focused lobbying firm Rich Feuer Anderson, as well as for mortgage giant Fannie Mae and for former Sens. Mike Enzi and Sam Brownback. — The bank is also promoting Kyle Russ to lead its prudential policy and strategy, and Ryan Jachym to lead markets policy. MENDING TIES: Trump appears to have patched things up with JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, with whom the president has met twice over the past two months, according to the Wall Street Journal's Alexander Saeedy and AnnaMaria Andriotis. — The most recent confab — which came on the heels of a yearslong rift between Dimon and Trump — took place in the Oval Office last week and included Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Per the Journal, the group discussed trade deals, affordable housing, and even the participants' diverging views on Fed Chair Jerome Powell's job performance and interest rates. DOUBLE TROUBLE: Cryptocurrency billionaires Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss pressed Trump over the weekend to dump his nominee to lead the CFTC, Brian Quintenz, POLITICO's Declan Harty and Sophia Cai report. — 'The Facebook-famous billionaires, who now run the crypto company Gemini, reached out to Trump directly with concerns about Quintenz' ahead of a Monday procedural vote on his nomination to lead the small but powerful Wall Street regulator, per people familiar with the matter. — Despite initially praising the nomination on social media this year, the brothers complained about 'Quintenz's recent testimony suggesting he would support expanding the CFTC's budget to account for new responsibilities in crypto regulation,' which the brothers pointed to to argue that Quintenz might not be sufficiently aligned with Trump's agenda. — 'The Senate Agriculture Committee scrapped its vote to advance Quintenz's nomination on Monday at the White House's request,' and while the White House maintains Quintenz is still the nominee, the ordeal demonstrates the level of power some in the crypto industry feel they wield in Trump's Washington — less than three years after the implosion of FTX made the industry a political pariah. Jobs report — Dan Curran is now senior director for global government relations at RTX. He was most recently senior director for legislative affairs at Sierra Space and is an alum of McKinsey, Boeing and Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.). — Tara Rabin has joined Context Strategies as a senior adviser. She was previously FDA's longtime media relations director. — Sarah Whitworth is now a senior vice president at CURA Strategies. She was most recently a vice president at GMMB. — Airports Council International-North America has promoted Amanda La Joie to senior director of government and political affairs, Holly Christian to director of office services and administration and Molly Babitz to manager of communications and marketing. — David 'Woody' Woodruff has joined Canadian government relations firm Rubicon Strategy as an associate. He was previously head of U.S. public and government affairs at CN Railway and is an Archer Daniels Midland, BP America and Hill alum. — Breyon Williams has joined Groundwork Collaborative as its new chief economist. Williams was previously a researcher at Mathematica and also has been a lecturer at American University. — McKinsey D.C. is bringing on Brent Perry as director of federal affairs and Megan Becker as manager of political affairs and leader of their new PAC. Perry previously was a senior leader on the federal affairs team at Eastman Chemical. Becker previously was finance director at the NRSC. — Paul Lewis is joining the government relations team at the International Fresh Produce Association as part of IFPA's restructuring. Lewis was previously vice president of food safety standards and regulatory compliance. — Mirela Gavrilas is now Elementl Power's vice president of regulatory affairs. She was previously the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's executive director of operations. — Jordan Ebert has joined Mastercard as director of U.S. government affairs. He most recently served as banking and consumer finance counsel to the Senate Banking Committee. — Aaron Scherb is now chief congressional adviser at Democracy Defenders Action, leading a new Stop Corruption Now project. He previously was senior director of legislative affairs at Common Cause. — Iliana Owen-Alcala is now coordinator of the Emerging Leaders Council at the Steamboat Institute. She previously interned at the Washington Examiner. New Joint Fundraisers Lateefah Victory Fund (Rep. Lateefah Simon, On the Move PAC) JF unauth (Textron Inc. Political Action Committee, Physician-Led Healthcare For America Political Action Committee (PHA PAC)) Virginia Senate Victory 2026 (Sen. Mark Warner, DSCC) New PACs American Covenant PAC (Super PAC) Forge PAC (Hybrid PAC) Forward America Inc. (Super PAC) North Carolina First (Leadership PAC: Michael Whatley) Possibilities PAC (Hybrid PAC) New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS Az Dc Consulting, LLC: City Of Surprise Black Diamond Strategies LLC: Atlas Strategic Assets Inc. Capitol Pathway Advisors LLC: Firearms Policy Coalition Cgcn Group, LLC: Primient Esp Advisors, LLC: Cornell Atkinson Center For Sustainability, Cornell University Forward Global: Echostar Corporation/Dba Dish Forward Global: National Wooden Pallet & Container Association Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Impact Health Sharing Holman Strategies LLC: Saxa Innovation LLC (On Behalf Of D Initiatives LLC) Ikon Public Affairs: Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center Meridian 535 Strategies: University Of Florida National Consumer Reporting Association: National Consumer Reporting Association Sightline Advocacy, LLC: American Hotel And Lodging Association Sightline Advocacy, LLC: General Motors LLC Sightline Advocacy, LLC: Haas Automation, Inc. Sightline Advocacy, LLC: Information Technology Industry Council Sightline Advocacy, LLC: Oracle America, Inc. Sightline Advocacy, LLC: The Home Depot, Inc. Sightline Advocacy, LLC: Traeger Pellet Grills, LLC Sightline Advocacy, LLC: Tsmc Arizona Thorn Run Partners: Evolution Iq Washington Advocacy Group: Capitol Counsel, LLC On Behalf Of Saracen Development LLC New Lobbying Terminations Alpha Strategies, LLC: Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition, Inc. - Frac Alpha Strategies, LLC: Nst Global, LLC Behrco: Bridgeway Academy Forbes-Tate: Shein Technology LLC Meridian 535 Strategies: Dynepic, Inc. Silver Legal Services LLC: City Of Ketchikan Washington Advocacy Group: Okayd
