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Supporting Maine Lobstermen

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Rep. Chellie Pingree at NOAA Maine Lobster Hearing

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CP NOAA Lobster Meeting

Assistant Administrator Coit and the others who are here with us tonight from NOAA Fisheries, thank you for responding to the request of our delegation and the Governor and coming to Maine to hold this meeting.   I am Chellie Pingree, I represent the First Congressional District which includes the coastal and island communities from Kittery to Camden. My own home is on an island 12…

Pingree Announces $2 Million Federal Investment to Strengthen Maine Aquaculture

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Aquaculture - stock

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced $2.12 million in federal funding to strengthen Maine’s aquaculture industry. Awarded through National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Sea Grant program, the funding will support sustainable aquaculture projects at the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center and the University of Maine Center for Cooperative…

Delegation, Governor Mills Pen Open Letter Urging Retailers, Restaurants to Continue Selling Maine Lobster

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Supporting Maine Lobstermen

Following the unsubstantiated decision by Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch to include Maine lobster on its seafood “Red List,” Senator Susan Collins, Congressman Jared Golden, Senator Angus King, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, and Governor Janet Mills published an open letter to retailers setting the facts straight.  On behalf of the 4,500 Maine lobstermen and women…

Maine Delegation Presses Fisheries Agency for Fair Treatment of Maine Lobster Fishery

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After the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) gave lobster industry participants just two business days to submit proposals for a new risk reduction plan to protect right whales and denied lobstermen and their allies access to a key data tool, Maine’s congressional delegation pushed back today against these decisions by the agency.  In their letter to NMFS, Congressman Jared…

Maine Congressional Delegation and Governor Mills Call on Seafood Watch to Immediately Reverse Lobster Red List Designation or Provide Evidence to Back Claims

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Senator Angus King, Governor Janet Mills, Senator Susan Collins, and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden are calling on the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch to immediately reverse the controversial listing of Maine lobsteron their seafood “Red List” and to remedy the significant harm they have already caused the iconic industry. In a letter…

Pingree: Seafood Watch Recommendation ‘Misguided, Uninformed, and Reckless’

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Supporting Maine Lobstermen

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) is condemning the updated designation by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program that adds American lobster to its “red list” of seafood to avoid.  “Seafood Watch’s recommendation to ‘avoid’ Maine lobster is misguided, uninformed, and reckless. This decision coincides with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s…

Golden, Pingree Secure Critical Funding to Help Lobstermen Cover Burdensome Regulation Compliance Costs

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Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01), a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, announced today that they have secured $14 million to help support Maine lobstermen in the House Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations bill. The inclusion of the funding in the bill comes after Golden and Pingree led a group of…

Pingree, Salazar Introduce Bicameral, Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen the Blue Economy and Support Coastal Communities

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WASHINGTON, DC—Today, U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) introduced legislation to strengthen coastal communities and the blue economy of Maine and the U.S. through technological research and development, job training, and cross-sector partnerships. The bipartisan Ocean Regional Opportunity and Innovation (Ocean ROI) Act of 2022,…

NOAA Forecasts Graduated Enforcement Approach in Response to Call from Maine Delegation, Governor Mills to Delay Looming Lobster Gear Deadline Amid Supply Chain Disruption

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Following repeated calls from the Maine Delegation and Governor Janet Mills, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today said that the agency is working to implement a graduated enforcement effort for fisheries that have made good faith efforts to comply with new gear regulations by the May 1 deadline. Today’s announcement comes in response to…

Maine Delegation, Governor Mills Renew Call for Biden Administration to Extend Lobster Gear Deadline

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – With new federal regulations fast approaching and supply chain challenges delaying access to key materials, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden, and Governor Janet Mills are urging the Biden administration to give Maine lobstermen and women more time to comply with updated gear rules. In a letter to…

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