Entangled Together: The Death Spiral of the American Lobster Fishery and the North Atlantic Right Whale

October 24, 2022

Understanding the many different meanings of Entanglement

On this episode, hosts Peter Ravella and Tyler Buckingham bring David Abel back to the show for an update on the ongoing saga between the Maine lobster fishery and the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale, a subject he covers in depth in his reporting with the Boston Globe and in his Emmy-nominated film ENTANGLED. Since Peter and Tyler started this podcast, the conflict between the lobster fishery and the Right Whale has been a topic of discussion on many episodes. Four years ago, when they recorded their first episode on this topic, the whale population was estimated to be slightly over 400 individuals. New data revealed in this episode shows that the population of the Right Whale is now under 350 individuals, signaling the dire need for greater regulatory action if the whales are to be saved. David provides an update on this new data, as well as coloring in the legal and political developments that are now shaping the increasingly contentious debate over how to manage the fishery and prevent the extinction of the great North Atlantic Right Whale.

David Abel is an award-winning reporter who covers fisheries and environmental issues for The Boston Globe. Abel's work has won an Edward R. Murrow Award, the Ernie Pyle Award from the Scripps Howard Foundation, and the Sigma Delta Chi Award for Feature Reporting.

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Show Transcription
This transcription was generated by a computer. Please excuse any errors.
Peter Ravella & Tyler Buckingham

Peter and Tyler joined forces in 2015 and from the first meeting began discussing a project that would become Coastal News Today and the American Shoreline Podcast Network. At the time, Peter and Tyler were coastal consultants for Pete’s firm, PAR Consulting, LLC. In that role, they worked with coastal communities in Texas, Florida, and North Carolina, engaged in grant writing, coastal project development, shoreline erosion and land use planning, permitting, and financial planning for communities undertaking big beach restoration projects. Between and among their consulting tasks, they kept talking and kept building the idea of CNT & ASPN. In almost every arena they worked, public engagement played a central role. They spent thousands of hours talking with coastal stakeholders, like business owners, hotel operators, condo managers, watermen, property owners, enviros, surfers, and fishermen. They dived deep into the value, meaning, and responsibility for the American shoreline, segment-by-segment. Common threads emerged, themes were revealed, differences uncovered. There was a big conversation going on along the American shoreline! But, no place to have it. That's where CNT and ASPN were born.