SCARBOROUGH, Maine– New protections for endangered right whales in the North Atlantic would be postponed for nearly a decade under a plan that cleared a key hurdle in Washington last week with the full support of the fishing and lobster industries.

Environmentalists say this could mean the end for missing whales, which can drown after becoming entangled in fishing gear or being hit by ships. There are only about 380 North Atlantic right whales left.

The federal government has already suspended any new right whale regulations until 2028, and the House Natural Resources Committee voted July 15 to extend that moratorium until 2035. A vote in the Republican-controlled Congress could come as soon as this summer, and will almost certainly pass.

President Donald Trump’s administration has supported U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, in his efforts to further delay new regulations aimed at protecting right whales. Golden introduced the bill along with Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York.

Much of the opposition to new regulations comes from the lobster and crab industries in New England states like Maine and Massachusetts. Those fishing industries say they already follow some of the most comprehensive conservation measures in the world and have argued that adding more rules could put them out of business.

The pause on the new rules, Golden said, is also intended to give more time to gather data on how best to protect the whales.

“Mainers aren’t asking for much. We just need more time,” he said.

The moratorium has been in effect since 2022. Environmental groups warn that, amid delays and additional studies, right whales continue to die from friction with commercial fishing gear.

The whale population fell by about 25% between 2010 and 2020. Although they have recovered slightly in recent years, their numbers are still well below 2010, when there were around 480.

“They needed more protections in 2022, when Congress ignored a mountain of evidence and decided that insufficient efforts were enough,” said Gib Brogan, senior campaign director for the conservation group Oceana. “Now, once again, lawmakers are trying to pass the buck.”

The fishing industry has responded that the current rules are sufficient and say those rules will not change if the moratorium is extended.

“The current conservation framework remains in full force and this legislation does not weaken protections for the North Atlantic right whale,” said Beth Casoni, executive director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association.

Right whales were once common off the East Coast, but were hunted to near extinction during the era of commercial whaling. In addition to becoming entangled or colliding with ships, scientists say whales are also endangered by ocean warming due to human-caused climate change.