Lobster fishermen off the Maine coast must begin to remove gear from a newly protected area intended to help whales, the federal government said.
New rules make an approximately 950-square-mile area of the Gulf of Maine essentially off limits to lobster fishing from October to January.
Federal officials said Wednesday that lobstermen in the area must remove their gear and may not set new traps. The feds expect gear to be removed within two weeks.
Patrick Keliher, commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, said the late fall orders raise safety concerns. He said the feds “have an obligation to take fisherman safety into concern when they make these decisions.”
Additional heating aid in spending plan
The White House is taking steps to help distribute billions of dollars in aid for winter heating and utility bills, an unprecedented sum that comes largely from its $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.
The package provided an additional $4.5 billion for the government’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which typically has funding of $3 billion to $4 billion annually.
Electricity and natural gas prices are roughly 11% higher than a year ago, according to the Labor Department’s consumer price index. Heating oil prices have more than doubled over the past year.
“These new programs and funding were designed to ensure that if the weather was colder or the prices were higher, we would have the highest resources ever to help as many hard-pressed families as possible,” said Gene Sperling, who’s overseeing coronavirus relief for the White House. “
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest Business News Click Here
