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Plan for lobster fishing relief fund faces committee vote

The new federal rules are intended to protect rare North Atlantic right whales from entanglement in fishing gear.

Credit: AP

FILE - A North Atlantic right whale appears at the surface on March 28, 2018, off the coast of Plymouth, Mass. A federal court is allowing a team of environmental groups to continue with a lawsuit against the U.S. government that seeks to create stronger rules to protect rare whales from collisions with ships. Environmental groups want to protect North Atlantic right whales, which are vulnerable to ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

PORTLAND, Maine — A plan to create a $30 million fund to help Maine fishermen cope with the economic impact of new whale conservation rules faces a possible key vote.

The new federal rules are intended to protect rare North Atlantic right whales from entanglement in fishing gear.

The new rules are especially challenging for the state’s lobster industry, which is the biggest of its kind in the country.

The Maine Legislature’s Committee on Marine Resources is due to vote on the fund proposal on Tuesday.