Maine fishing gear is being blamed for the death of an endangered right whale that washed up on Martha’s Vineyard this past January.

Federal biologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say the cause of death of the young female whale, labeled “Right Whale #5120” was chronic entanglement, with the gear found wrapped around the whale sporting the purple markings that Maine lobstermen use on trap and buoy lines.

The Portland Press Herald reports that the last time she was seen alive was in June of 2023, with scientists noting that rope wounds on her tail had worsened since they last observed her.

But there’s controversy about how exactly to preserve the whales, who number around 360 left in the wild. Maine lobstermen say that regulations to protect the whales could end up gravely harming the industry, which is already dealing with rising operation costs and the effects of global warming.

Cutler lobsterman and member of the state Lobster Advisory Council John Drouin told the Press Herald in February that he is “very concerned that NOAA is going to use any bit of information that it can in order to turn everything to: ‘The Maine lobster industry is the Big Bad Wolf”.

Maine politicians have echoed this sentiment, with a statement from Maine Senators Angus King and Susan Collins, as well as representative Chellie Pingree saying that while they’re sympathetic to the whale’s plight, “…The fact remains that vessel strikes are also a significant source of mortality for right whales, and NOAA has failed to act to reduce that source of mortality. We also must continue to hold Canada accountable for the outsized role they contribute to NARW deaths. It is unacceptable that Maine lobstermen and women continue to be the primary target despite all of the actions they have taken.”

Conservationists like Kristen Monsell, the oceans legal director at the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity say that they hope this is a wakeup call. “Getting confirmation that this poor female right whale died from entanglement is so sad and enraging. Dying this way is a horrendous fate that no creature deserves, but it’ll happen again and again until we get these deadly fishing ropes out of the water. I hope this spurs the Maine fishing industry to cooperate on commonsense solutions like pop-up gear before it’s too late for right whales.”

To read the original Portland Press Herald Article, click here.