Runge cited in Ellsworth American story about rules protecting right whales

University of Maine professor Jeffrey Runge was cited in a story in The Ellsworth American about lobstermen and women rallying in Stonington to protest NOAA Fisheries rules that seek to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales from entanglements in lobster fishing gear. The lobster haulers say the rules will make fishing more dangerous and won’t help right whales, according to the article. Before the rally, Gov. Janet Mills, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and U.S. Congresspeople Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree met with Runge. Runge said scientific research indicates right whales no longer visit the Gulf of Maine because the tiny shrimplike Calanus finmarchicus they feed on have moved into Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence. The Portland Press Herald carried The Ellsworth American story.