In the News | April 2026

RIGHT WHALES CONGREGATE OFF MASSACHUSETTS

Massachusetts continues to see high North Atlantic right whale activity, with the New England Aquarium documenting over a quarter of the population offshore of Nantucket in late February and throughout March. Th e Center for Coastal Studies documented more than100 whales in Cape Cod Bay this year, including a record 33 sightings in January. A notable whale seen is “the Irish whale,” who made headlines in 2025. Th is right whale, who hasn’t yet been entered into the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog, was first sighted in Ireland in 2024 and then again in Cape Cod Bay last year. The most recent sighting marks just one of the few times researchers have ever documented it. Th e winter/spring season is the peak time of year for right whale sightings in southern New England waters. National Marine Fisheries Service reports 23 right whale calves born this year. Th e calving season ends in mid-April.

NEW VESSEL BEGINS SERVICE AT DARLING MARINE CENTER

A new teaching and research vessel at the University of Maine’s Darling Marine

Center is expanding student access to the open ocean. Previously used as a

commercial tuna fi shing platform, the 45-foot boat will support student training,

faculty research and workforce development within the School of Marine

Sciences and Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station. In addition

to shark and tuna tagging projects, the vessel will be used for marine mammal

and seabird surveys, fisheries research and other offshore studies. With docking

stations at both the Darling Marine Center and in Portland, the vessel will

give students and faculty improved access to offshore waters throughout New

England, from the Gulf of Maine to Rhode Island. Th e vessel can travel up to

100 miles offshore, cruise at 18 knots and carry 700 gallons of fuel.

SEAWEED TWINE SOON TO HIT SHELVES

Viable Gear, a Portland-based startup launched in 2021, will soon bring

its first product to market — a seaweed-based agricultural twine called

SeaTwine. Designed as an eco-friendly alternative to petroleum-based plastic

trellising and crop twine, SeaTwine is engineered to off er durability, water resistance and handling performance. The new twine is hydrophobic, meaning it resists water absorption and degradation in wet conditions. Natural fibers like hemp, jute and sisal eventually will weaken or rot in the presence of water. Viable Gear is initially targeting vegetable and fruit farmers with direct-to-consumer sales via its online platform.

NOVA SCOTIA LOBSTERMEN SHIFTING TO ELECTRONIC LOGBOOKS

Th e transition from paper logbooks to mandatory electronic logbooks (ELOG)

is coming this fall for southwestern Nova Scotia lobstermen. Th e Department

of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) began rolling out mandatory ELOGS for fisheries

catch reporting in other Atlantic Canada fisheries last year.

In 2026, ELOGS will become mandatory in ten Lobster Fishing Areas (LFAs),

including southwest Nova Scotia, this fall. For eastern Nova Scotia lobstermen,

ELOGS will become mandatory when their seasons open this spring. “Th is

change is to modernize reporting of catch information, improve the accuracy

and timeliness of reporting, while supporting compliance with fisheries regulations,” says DFO.

VINALHAVEN LOBSTERMEN TAKES CASE TO SUPREME COURT

Frank Thompson of Vinalhaven is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his

appeal of a government requirement that all Northeast federal lobstermen

continuously operate vessel trackers. He argues that tracking violates his

constitutional rights, and “this warrantless surveillance violates his Fourth

Amendment rights.” The Pacific Legal Foundation is bringing the appeal on his

behalf.

Thompson originally sued the Department of Marine Resources over its enforcement of the regulation in 2023. But his case was dismissed by the federal

First District Court of Appeals, which held the GPS tracking requirement is

justified in a “closely regulated industry."