Northeast

Here's how activists use lobstermen as bait to endanger Maine industry, communities

Published

2 years ago

February 24, 2024

Here's how activists use lobstermen as bait to endanger Maine industry, communities

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Far left activists are exploiting the recent death of an endangered whale to imperil the future of Maine’s iconic lobster fishery.

An endangered right whale recently washed ashore on Martha’s Vineyard entangled with Maine lobstering gear. It’s the first documented right whale fatality associated with our fishery, but so-called environmentalists are seizing the moment to call for consumer boycotts and new regulations that threaten the maritime communities that depend on Maine lobster.

Fishermen are the real stewards of the ocean. But cubicle environmentalists are scapegoating us for whale deaths and demanding that regulators retaliate against us owing to the recent entanglement.

Maine lobstermen haul in their latest catch off the state’s coast. (Maine Lobstermens Association/Marketing Collaborative)

These organizations have poor command of the facts and no knowledge of our industry. Their agitating imperils our fishery and the working communities that depend on it.

LOBSTER FISHERMEN CLAW AT ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL’ BOAT TRACKING MANDATE

Organizations like the National Resources Defense Council, the Conservation Law Foundation and others are exploiting this event to pressure regulators to impose new rules. These organizations are restless and can claim some success. A self-styled watchdog called Seafood Watch convinced Whole Foods to stop stocking Maine lobster products late in 2022.

Critically, regulators acknowledge that data respecting right whale entanglements and Maine’s lobster fishery are uncertain at best. A biological opinion from National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on right whale interactions with our fishery forthrightly acknowledged this point – and that many regulations binding our industry are based on guesswork.

“Data are limited, so we are often forced to make assumptions to overcome the limits in [sic] our knowledge,” the opinion reads.

MAINE GROUP SUES CALIFORNIA AQUARIUM FOR TELLING CUSTOMERS TO AVOID BUYING LOBSTER

This is no surprise. Many whale deaths go undetected. Even when whale deaths are identified, it is often impossible to assign a cause of death owing to decomposition.

When entanglements are documented, they can seldom be traced to particular countries or even particular types of gear. And in those rare instances when a right whale entanglement can be traced, the numbers show Canadian fishermen are disproportionately responsible.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit cited all of these facts when it blocked a regulatory plan for Maine’s lobster fishery in 2023.

Given the uncertainties in the data, as well as the steps lobstermen undertake to protect whales, you would think the environmental NGOs would make more modest claims. But they are so hostile toward fishermen, and so wide of the facts, that many of NEFSA’s members are suspicious of their true motives.

GREEN GROUPS TARGETING BLUE-COLLAR LOBSTERMEN ARE LARGELY FUNDED BY DARK MONEY

These groups know little about the data and even less about lobstering. The industry-side solutions they suggest show the staggering distance between brahmin “environmentalists” and working people.

For example, the Conservation Law Foundation has long touted the benefits of ropeless traps, a catchall term for several kinds of technology.

While ropeless trap technology may one day be safe and commercially viable, as of this writing, I do not know a single lobsterman who could afford to make the transition.

Ropeless traps also have an unacceptably high rate of failure. I am confident in asserting that the overwhelming majority of Maine lobstermen oppose any such transition as a simple matter of dollars and cents.

MAINE LOBSTERMAN HEARS MYSTERIOUS CRIES FROM THE WATER THAT LEAD TO MIRACLE RESCUE

A ropeless trap regime will drive most lobstermen out of the fishery, clearing the water for a corporate takeover. I don’t know if these so-called environmentalists favor corporatizing the lobster fishery, but that is the future they will get.

These entities have no connection to our coastal communities – unless perhaps they own vacation houses up here – and it shows.

For our part, lobstermen have removed over 25,000 miles of line from the water. All of our gear is marked, ensuring any entanglement is attributable to our fishery. And we deploy weaker rope with weak link devices to head-off entanglements.

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Because of these measures, entanglements are rare. Right whale #5120 is just the second documented entanglement associated with our fishery since 2004, and the first fatality.

Maine’s lobster fishery is a model of sustainability. Our data-driven, preservation-minded practices have created an environmental and economic miracle. Wild lobster stocks are healthy and robust, while the lobster supply chain generates $1 billion for the state’s economy and supports thousands of jobs. We know what we’re doing.

Dustin Delano is COO of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) and a fourth-generation lobsterman.

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Maine

Housing affordability key issue in Maine’s housing crisis, report shows

Published

4 minutes ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

Housing affordability key issue in Maine’s housing crisis, report shows

A new report is showing some progress when it comes to housing in Maine, but affordability continues to remain a key challenge.

According to a report by MaineHousing, the income needed to afford a median priced home in the state has increased 187 percent between 2015 and 2024.

In that same period, the state’s median income only went up 44 percent.

The rental market has not fared better, as it is affected by the dramatically increased cost of real estate across Maine, according to the report.

Despite MaineHousing’s record success in 2025 with its first-time homebuyer program, the demand from homebuyers continues to outstrip the supply of homes for sale.

While year-over-year price increases were lower than in the recent past, the supply pressure is not likely to ease meaningfully until interest rates tick down more.

Maine home for sale (WGME)

“Maine, a state famous for natural beauty and quality of life, has become an attractive location for telecommuters and retirees who often have larger home-buying budgets than Mainers,” MaineHousing said in the report.

In a look at the state’s homelessness crisis, the report suggests underfunding at homeless service centers is leading to skewed data.

According to MaineHousing, housing production is one key to solving these problems.

“MaineHousing’s affordable housing production remains well above historical averages, with 755 low and middle-income units coming online in 2025, and a record future production pipeline extending through the next few years,” MaineHousing said in the report.

While affordable housing production is increasing, unpredictable support at the federal and state levels and high construction costs could still bring that increase to a halt in future years.

Moving into 2026, Maine shows evidence of progress on several fronts of the housing crisis, but there is still much work to be done.

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Massachusetts

See top 50 highest-paid state workers in Massachusetts in 2025

Published

22 minutes ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

See top 50 highest-paid state workers in Massachusetts in 2025

In 2025, University of Massachusetts employees earned some of the largest salaries among state workers.

For example, Francisco Martin, head basketball coach at UMass Amherst, made $2.18 million last year, according to the Office of the Comptroller’s statewide payroll database. Dr. Michael Collins, chancellor of UMass Chan Medical School, made $1.57 million.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts paid a total of $10.89 billion to state employees in 2025, including $1.82 billion to UMass employees, $955.4 million to MBTA employees, $680.68 million to trial court employees and $486.19 million to Department of Developmental Services employees.

The public payroll also lists the 2025 salaries for Gov. Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Campbell and other public officials. They didn’t make the top 50, but their pay is listed below.

Check out the 50 highest-paid Massachusetts state workers in 2025.

50 highest-paid state workers in MA in 2025

Here were the 50 highest-paid Massachusetts state workers in 2025, according to the statewide payroll:

Francisco Martin – UMass Head Basketball Coach ($2.18 million)
Michael Collins – UMass Chan Medical School Chancellor, Senior Vice President of Health Sciences ($1.57 million)
Joseph Harasymiak – UMass Head Football Coach ($1.41 million)
Terence Flotte – UMass Chan Medical School Executive Deputy Chancellor & Provost, T.H. Chan School of Medicine Dean ($1.18 million)
Partha Chakrabarti – UMass Chan Medical School Executive Vice Chancellor for Innovation & Business Development ($1.01 million)
Ryan Bamford – UMass Athletic Director ($912,226)
Martin Meehan – UMass President ($879,454)
Lisa Colombo – UMass Chan Medical School Executive Vice Chancellor of ForHealth Consulting ($821,872)
Javier Reyes – UMass Amherst Chancellor ($731,684)
Donald Brown – Former UMass Head Football Coach ($705,440)
Gregory Carvel – UMass Hockey Coach ($701,048)
Marcelo Suarez-Orozco – UMass Boston Chancellor ($699,908)
John Lindstedt – UMass Chan Medical School Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration & Finance ($699,175)
Kenneth Rock – UMass Chan Medical School Chair in Biomedical Research ($692,780)
Katherine Fitzgerald – UMass Chan Medical School Department of Medicine Vice Chair ($676,959)
Gregory Volturo – UMass Chan Medical School Chair in Emergency Medicine ($644,380)
Mark Fuller – UMass Dartmouth Chancellor ($626,750)
Anne Massey – UMass Isenberg School of Management Dean ($599,242)
Peter Reinhart – UMass Institute for Applied Life Sciences Founding Director ($574,265)
Julie Chen – UMass Lowell Chancellor ($549,614)
Andrew McCallum – UMass Center for Data Science & Artificial Intelligence Director ($544,451)
David Flanagan – UMass Chan Medical School Deputy Executive Vice Chancellor for Facilities Management ($533,562)
Donald Towsley – UMass Quantum Information Systems Institute Director ($528,922)
Fouad Abd-El-Khalick – UMass Provost, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs ($515,870)
Lisa Calise – UMass Senior Vice President for Administration & Finance, Treasurer ($511,275)
Phillip Eng – MBTA General Manager ($509,114)
James Healy – UMass Chan Deputy Vice Chancellor for Management ($496,647)
Adam Wise – UMass Boston Vice Chancellor for University Advancement ($491,793)
Mindy Hull – Massachusetts Chief Medical Examiner ($491,017)
Roger Davis – UMass Chan Medical School Program in Molecular Medicine Chair ($486,238)
Celia Schiffer – UMass Institute for Applied Life Sciences Chair of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology ($478,484)
Jeroan Allison – UMass Chan Medical School Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences Chair ($477,782)
Craig Mello – UMass Chan Medical School Chair in Molecular Medicine ($476,992)
Mary Ahn – UMass Chan Medical School Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs ($475,597)
James Watkins – UMass Associate Vice Chancellor for Research & Engagement, Strategic Research Initiatives ($474,133)
David McManus – UMass Chan Professor and Chair of Medicine ($471,586)
Richard Gregory – UMass Chan Medical School Department of Molecular, Cell & Cancer Biology Chair ($469,918)
Maxwell Mayer – UMass Chan Medical School Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences ($469,843)
Sanjay Raman – UMass Dean of Engineering ($468,972)
Nefertiti Walker – UMass Senior Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs & Equity ($462,152)
Fousseni Chabi-Yo – UMass Isenberg School of Management Finance Department Chair ($461,411)
Murugappan Muthukumar – UMass Wilmer D. Barrett Professor ($460,783)
Mark Johnson – UMass Chan Medical School Chair in Neurosurgery ($458,421)
Hong Yu – UMass Lowell Center of Biomedical and Health Research in Data Sciences Director ($458,025)
Sheldon Zhang – UMass Lowell School of Criminology and Justice Studies Professor ($453,950)
Albertha Walhout – UMass Chan Medical School Department of Systems Biology Chair, Chair in Biomedical Research ($450,591)
Zhiping Weng – UMass Chan Medical School Chair in Biomedical Research ($450,591)
Beth McCormick – UMass Chan Medical School Department of Microbiology Chair ($450,591)
Shlomo Zilberstein – UMass Amherst Professor of Computer Science ($450,108)
Abdallah Georges Assaf – UMass Isenberg School of Management Professor ($447,486)

How much did Gov. Maura Healey make in 2025?

Gov. Maura Healey did not break the top 50, making $242,509 as a state employee in 2025, according to the payroll.

Her salary increased from $222,185 in 2024 and $220,288 in 2023.

How much did Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll make in 2025?

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll made $216,292 in 2025, according to the state payroll.

Her salary increased from $198,165 in 2024 and $187,952 in 2023.

How much did Attorney General Andrea Campbell make in 2025?

Attorney General Andrea Campbell made $223,495 as a state employee in 2025, according to the official payroll.

This salary is up from $222,639 in 2024 and $203,401 in 2023.

How much did Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble make in 2025?

Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble made $292,711 in 2025, according to the state payroll. Noble was named colonel in October 2024.

How much did Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin make in 2025?

Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin made $202,427 as a state employee in 2025, according to the payroll.

In 2024, he made $201,850, and in 2023, he made $187,433.

How much did State Treasurer and Receiver General Deborah B. Goldberg make in 2025?

State Treasurer and Receiver General Deborah B. Goldberg made $260,637 in 2025, according to the state payroll.

Goldberg made $238,794 in 2024 and $236,901 in 2023.

How much did State Auditor Diana DiZoglio make in 2025?

State Auditor Diana DiZoglio made $253,494 in 2025, according to the state payroll.

Her salary increased from $229,377 in 2024 and $213,224 in 2023.

How much did former State Police Trooper Michael Proctor make in 2025?

Now-former State Police Trooper Michael Proctor made $3,617 in 2025, according to the state payroll.

Proctor, who served as the lead investigator in the Karen Read case, was put on unpaid leave in July 2024 and then fired in March, accused of violating four department policies.

In 2024, Proctor was paid $79,266, and in 2023, he was paid $146,053.

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New Hampshire

NH dog facility owner charged with animal cruelty after video surfaces online

Published

1 hour ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

NH dog facility owner charged with animal cruelty after video surfaces online

A 26-year-old woman, who owns a dog training and kennel facility in Brentwood, New Hampshire, has been arrested after a video surfaced online showing apparent animal cruelty in Methuen, Massachusetts.

Brentwood police notified the Methuen Police Department about the video on Jan. 2. A preliminary investigation then identified the woman in the video as Maddison Eastman.

Police obtained an arrest warrant for Eastman on two counts of animal cruelty, and she turned herself into Lawrence District Court last Wednesday.

Eastman was arraigned Friday. Information from her court appearance wasn’t immediately available, and officials haven’t released further details about what Eastman allegedly did.

Methuen police said they’ll have no further comment at this time and referred all inquiries to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office.

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