PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — For roughly 380 right whales left in the North Atlantic, which can die after getting tangled in fishing ropes or hit by ships, the Trump administration said this month it wants to delay new protections by almost a decade in favor of commercial fishing interests. The sleek black whales, which weigh as much as a […]
Patrick Whittle | Associated Press
Posted inNews
Rare two-colored lobster caught by fishermen off Cape Cod donated to aquarium
It might be a divided lobster, but it has united New Englanders in fascination. A Cape Cod seafood company has donated a rare two-colored lobster to a science center, sparing the critter from the kettle because of its remarkable coloration. The lobster found is the typical brown color on one side and bright orange on […]
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Scientists made a breakthrough in the study of whale sounds. Here’s a look at the numbers
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Researchers on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, recently discovered the oldest known recordings of whale sounds and believe the discovery could help understand how the animals communicate. The recording is the song of a humpback whale, a species of large whale known for its complex songs. Researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts, said […]
Posted inMartha's Vineyard
Oldest known whale recording could unlock mysteries of the ocean
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A haunting whale song discovered on decades-old audio equipment could open up a new understanding of how the huge animals communicate, according to researchers who say it’s the oldest such recording known. The song is that of a humpback whale, a marine giant beloved by whale watchers for its docile nature and spectacular leaps […]
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Trump ends Obama-era restrictions on commercial fishing in protected area off New England
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday reopening a huge swath of protected sea in the Atlantic Ocean to commercial fishing. Trump said the order would reestablish fishing in Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the New England coast, a nearly 5,000-square-mile preserve east of Cape Cod that was created […]
Posted inMartha's Vineyard
Sharks are famous for fearsome teeth, but ocean acidification could make them weaker
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Sharks are the most feared predators in the sea, and their survival hinges on fearsome teeth that regrow throughout their lives. But changes in the ocean’s chemistry could put those weapons at risk. That is the takeaway from a study performed by a group of German scientists who tested the effects of a […]
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A rare whale is having an encouraging season for births. Scientists warn it might still go extinct
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — One of the world’s rarest whale species is having more babies this year than in some recent seasons, but experts say many more young are needed to help stave off the possibility of extinction. The North Atlantic right whale’s population numbers an estimated 384 animals and is slowly rising after several years of […]
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New England’s shrimp fishery to shut down for the long haul after years of decline
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Regulators voted Thursday to extend a shutdown preventing New England fishermen from catching shrimp, a historic industry that has recently fallen victim to warming oceans. New England fishermen, especially those from Maine, used to catch millions of pounds of small pink shrimp in the winter, but the business has been under […]
Posted inCity & Government
Assisted-living facility owner and inspector sue each other over faulty sprinklers in deadly fire
A safety inspection company and the owner of a Massachusetts assisted-living facility that was the site of a fire in July that killed 10 people are blaming each other for failing to address a faulty sprinkler system. Inspector Fire Systems Inc. sued Gabriel House owner Dennis Etzkorn, claiming it notified the facility months before the fire about […]
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Lobster population falls off New England, leading regulators to declare overfishing
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A new report says America’s lobsters, which have been in decline since 2018, are now being overfished off New England. The stock has declined by 34% since that year in its most important fishing grounds, the regulatory Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission said Thursday. The commission said it now considers overfishing of […]
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One of the world’s rarest whales that makes the Atlantic its home grows in population
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — One of the rarest whales on the planet has continued an encouraging trend of population growth in the wake of new efforts to protect the giant animals, according to scientists who study them. The North Atlantic right whale now numbers an estimated 384 animals, up eight whales from the previous year, […]
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New England’s shrimp industry is struggling, with fishermen catching few in 2025
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — There’s an effort underway to bring New England shrimp back to seafood customers — but fishermen have found few of the crustaceans, and the fishing industry that harvests them may face an even longer shutdown. Fishermen have been under a moratorium on catching shrimp for more than a decade because of […]
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Great white sharks are going north. Here’s what the numbers say
SCARBOROUGH, Maine (AP) — New data shows that great white sharks are spending more time in the chilly waters off New England and Canada’s Atlantic coast. That means boaters, beachgoers and fishermen who spend time in the northern waters are learning to live with the predators made famous by the movie “Jaws” 50 years ago. Sightings of the sharks […]
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Great white sharks head north, following seals and alarming beachgoers
SCARBOROUGH, Maine (AP) — Rick Clough spent some four decades fishing for lobsters and sea urchins off the Maine coast before spotting one of the ocean’s most recognized predators — a great white shark. The approximately 8-foot (2.4-meter) shark, seen off the beach town of Scarborough in July, surprised Clough, but didn’t make him fear the […]
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Coast Guard says rotten wood and poor inspections led to deadly schooner mast collapse
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Rotten wood and poor inspections appear to have played roles in the collapse of the mast of a historic Maine schooner in an accident that killed one person and injured several others, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a report made public on Thursday. The Coast Guard launched a formal investigation after the main mast […]
Posted inCity & Government
Canada to take steps to protect vanishing North Atlantic right whales from ships
The Canadian government says it is taking steps this summer to protect a vanishing species of whale from lethal collisions with ships in its waters. The whale is the North Atlantic right whale, which numbers only about 370. The whales give birth off the southeastern U.S. in the winter and spring and migrate north to New […]
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Endangered whales gave birth to few babies this year as population declines
SCARBOROUGH, Maine (AP) — A vanishing species of whale gave birth to few babies this birthing season, raising alarms among scientists and conservationists who fear the animal could go extinct. The whale is the North Atlantic right whale, which numbers only about 370 and has declined in population in recent years. The whales give birth to calves […]
Posted inCity & Government
Fishers celebrate Trump’s seafood order while conservation groups fear overfishing
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — President Donald Trump’s executive order to boost the U.S. commercial fishing industry drew praise from commercial fishing groups and condemnation from environmental organizations who said they fear cutting regulations will harm fish populations that have already dwindled in some areas of the oceans. The order represents a dramatic shift in federal […]
Posted inBusiness
Fishermen want to go green but say DOGE cuts prevent that
BREMEN, Maine (AP) — Commercial fishermen and seafood processors and distributors looking to switch to new, lower-carbon emission systems say the federal funding they relied on for this work is either frozen or unavailable due to significant budget cuts promoted by President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency. The changes are designed to replace old diesel-burning […]
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St. Patrick’s Day parade celebrates Boston heritage in America’s most Irish big city
By ROBERT BUKATY and RODRIQUE NGOWI Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Throngs of green-clad, shamrock-festooned revelers filled the streets of America’s most Irish big city on Sunday for the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade. Green, white and orange confetti — the national colors of the Emerald Isle — rained down along parts of the […]
Posted inFood & Drink
US lobster catch drops as crustaceans migrate to colder Canadian waters
SCARBOROUGH, Maine (AP) — The U.S. lobster industry’s catch keeps sliding as fishermen contend with the northward migration of the valuable crustaceans. The industry is based mostly in Maine, where lobsters are both a cultural signifier and the backbone of the coastal economy. The state’s haul of lobsters has declined every year from 2021, when it was […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health, News
New England ocean warming slows but temperatures remain high
SCARBOROUGH, Maine (AP) — The waters off New England had another warm year but didn’t heat up as fast as earlier this decade, bucking a trend of higher warming worldwide, said scientists who study the Atlantic Ocean near Maine. The Gulf of Maine, which touches three New England states and Canada, emerged as a test case for climate […]
Posted inCity & Government
Stricter lobster fishing rules scrapped after complaints from fishermen about harm to industry
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Fishing industry regulators have decided to scrap stricter new lobster fishing standards off New England in the wake of months of protest from lobster fishermen that the rules were unnecessary and would bankrupt harvesters. The regulators were planning to institute new rules this summer that increased the minimum legal harvest size for lobsters […]
Posted inCity & Government
Court restores protections for endangered whale species to prevent entanglement in fishing gear
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Commercial fishermen who hoped for a loosening of fishing regulations during President Donald Trump’s administration faced a setback when a federal appeals court reinstated rules meant to protect a dwindling whale species from getting entangled in fishing gear. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s decision […]
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Earthquake rattles houses in Maine and is felt hundreds of miles away
SCARBOROUGH, Maine (AP) — A 3.8-magnitude earthquake centered near the Maine coast rattled houses in northern New England on Monday and was felt by surprised residents of states hundreds of miles away. The earthquake took place at about 10:22 a.m. on Monday and was centered about six miles (10 kilometers) southeast of York Harbor in […]