Standing on a dock in his hometown of Gloucester, Massachusetts, lobsterman Arthur Sawyer looked out at the peaceful, calm waters off of Cape Ann.
Sawyer and fellow lobstermen are barred from taking to Massachusetts waters until May 15, a measure the state Division of Marine Fisheries has implemented over the years to better protect North Atlantic right whales.
When the waters do open, lobstermen use what they say are “weak ropes,” equipped with breakaway links built in, meaning it’s likely to part if a North Atlantic right whale encounters it.
