House votes to delay new right whale protections until 2035
The House on September 1, 2026 passed a bill to extend a pause on new federal regulations aimed at protecting the endangered North Atlantic right whale from entanglement in fishing gear.
The measure, titled the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act of 2026, amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. A provision in that 2023 law froze the existing whale-protection rule in place and delayed any tougher new rules to reduce entanglements in the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries until the end of 2028. The bill pushes that deadline to the end of 2035.
Supporters, including Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, said the bill does not weaken protections and instead preserves the current regulatory framework while the state of Maine and the industry gather better data. Opponents, including Ranking Member Jared Huffman, said the delay would keep NOAA Fisheries from putting in place science-based measures to reduce entanglements of a species with fewer than 400 individuals remaining.
On the question of passage, members voted 219 to 196, with 17 not voting. The bill passed and now goes to the Senate.
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