Patrick Whittle | Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Fishermen in the U.S.’s only commercial-scale fishing industry for valuable baby eels once again had a productive season searching for the tiny fish. Baby eels, called elvers, are often worth more than $2,000 per pound because of how valuable they are to Asian aquaculture companies. That makes them one of the […]

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Recent shark bites in Florida and Hawaii and a suspected case in New Jersey have piqued interest in an age-old summer question for beachgoers — is it safe to go in the water? Scientists and researchers who study sharks said the overwhelming answer to that question is yes, it is safe. Potentially dangerous interactions between […]

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A staple seafood species caught by East Coast fishers for centuries is experiencing overfishing, and regulators have cut catch quotas by more than 80% to prevent the fish’s population from collapse. Haddock are one of the most popular Atlantic fish, and a favorite for fish and chips and other New England […]

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire group wants to be the first to bring offshore fish farming to the waters off New England by raising salmon and trout in open-ocean pens miles from land, but critics fear the plan could harm the environment. The vast majority of U.S. aquaculture, the practice of raising and […]

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A group of Massachusetts lobster fishers has sued the federal government over an emergency closure of fishing grounds that is designed to protect a vanishing species of whale. The closure, enacted Feb. 1, blocked off about 200 square miles (518 square kilometers) of Massachusetts Bay from lobster fishing until the end […]

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Changes to U.S. rules about the monitoring of Northeast commercial fishing activities are going into effect this month with a goal of providing more accurate information about some of the nation’s oldest fisheries. The U.S. mandates observers to work onboard fishing boats to collect data and make sure fishermen adhere to […]

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Massachusetts intends to finance up to 40% of a wind power project in far northern Maine, potentially giving the state the partner it needs to make the project a reality. The partnership comes as states in the Northeast are struggling with surging energy costs. The region is heavily dependent on natural gas […]

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The fading North Atlantic right whale will remain protected under the Endangered Species Act, and the species requires a series of protective steps to stave off extinction, federal authorities said Tuesday. The whales number only about 340 and they have declined in population in recent years. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration […]

Some species of shark return to the same breeding grounds for decades at a time, and live longer than previously thought, scientists studying the animals off Florida say. Scientists with the New England Aquarium found that nurse sharks returned to the waters off the Dry Tortugas, 70 miles (113 kilometers) from Key West, to mate […]

FREEPORT, Maine (AP) — Facial recognition technology is mostly associated with uses such as surveillance and the authentication of human faces, but scientists believe they’ve found a new use for it — saving seals. A research team at Colgate University has developed SealNet, a database of seal faces created by taking pictures of dozens of harbor […]

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The decline of an endangered species of whale slowed last year, as it lost about 2% of its population, but scientists warn the animal still faces existential threats and is losing breeding females too fast. The North Atlantic right whale’s population was more than 480 in 2010 and fell by more […]

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The state of Maine and a fishing group are appealing a federal judge’s decision that new rules intended to protect endangered whales must stand. The judge earlier this month denied a request from fishermen to stop federal regulators from placing the new restrictions on lobster fishing. The rules are intended to protect […]

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Federal regulators who want to enforce new vessel speed rules to help protect rare whales can expect some pushback from ship operators. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the new proposed rules, which are designed to protect the last remaining North Atlantic right whales, last month. The rules would expand seasonal […]

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A federal circuit court has reinstated a ban on lobster fishing gear in a nearly 1,000-square-mile area off New England to try to protect endangered whales. The National Marine Fisheries Service issued new regulations last year that prohibited lobster fishing with vertical buoy lines in part of the fall and winter […]