Trump Backs Golden Bill to Extend Maine Lobster Regulation Moratorium Through 2035
Why It Matters
Maine’s lobster industry, valued at roughly half a billion dollars annually, could gain a decade of additional regulatory relief if Congress passes legislation supported by both President Donald Trump and Democratic Representative Jared Golden. The bill would extend a pause on federal fishing restrictions tied to North Atlantic right whale protections until 2035.
What Happened
The Trump administration issued a formal Statement of Administration Policy expressing strong support for Golden’s bill, with the White House indicating the president would sign the measure if it reaches his desk. Golden introduced the legislation last month to continue shielding Maine lobstermen from new federal rules designed to reduce whale entanglements in fishing gear.
The current moratorium on new whale-related regulations was secured through a provision Golden helped negotiate in a 2022 federal omnibus spending package, which blocked new restrictions through the end of 2028. The new bill would push that deadline seven additional years.
“The need to protect Maine’s iconic lobster industry knows no party,” Golden said in a public statement. “Extending the moratorium will give lobstermen and their communities stability and peace of mind.”
By the Numbers
- $500 million+ — estimated annual economic value of Maine’s lobster industry
- 2035 — proposed new deadline for the regulatory moratorium
- 2028 — current expiration date of the existing moratorium
- Fewer than 400 — estimated remaining North Atlantic right whale population, per federal fisheries data
Zoom Out
North Atlantic right whales migrate along the East Coast, and their paths overlap significantly with productive lobster fishing grounds off Maine and Massachusetts. Federal wildlife officials have identified gear entanglement as one of the primary threats to the species, alongside vessel strikes and habitat degradation. With fewer than 400 animals remaining and limited numbers of reproductively active females, the species is considered by federal scientists to be nearing extinction.
The tension between environmental protection mandates and the economic survival of coastal fishing communities reflects a broader national debate over how regulatory agencies weigh ecological risk against industry impact. Conflicts over land and resource use are increasingly shaping policy decisions at both the state and federal level.
Golden, one of the few House Democrats to regularly break with his party on economic and regulatory issues, framed the proposed extension as a matter of correcting flawed regulatory science rather than abandoning conservation goals.
What’s Next
With the White House formally backing the bill, attention turns to whether House leadership will schedule it for a floor vote and whether it can attract sufficient bipartisan support to advance. Golden expressed optimism that colleagues on both sides of the aisle would move quickly. Other legislative priorities in the region are also navigating uncertain paths through Congress and state assemblies this session.
If passed, the legislation would give federal fisheries scientists additional time to develop updated whale-protection frameworks that account for current conditions rather than relying on projections Golden has characterized as disconnected from real-world fishing practices.