So, the basic question is why stronger regulations, which likely mean allowing less rope in the water and putting more areas off-limits to lobster harvesting for parts of the year, are needed when it is unclear that whales are currently getting entangled in lobster gear. According to NOAA data, however, it is often unclear where this gear comes from and, lobstermen point out, a right whale has not been known to be entangled in lobster gear for nearly 20 years. But, some are getting entangled with fishing gear, both off the coast of Canada and the U.S., as well. Too many right whales are dying, most often from collisions with boats. The problem is that there is not sufficient data on the interaction of the whales and lobster gear. The rules are meant to protect North Atlantic right whales, which are an endangered species. Simply put, if you’re not talking about actual rape – and its life-altering consequences – don’t talk about rape.Īs for being passionate about lobstering and its regulation, there are lots of reasons to be frustrated with NOAA and the increasingly stringent rules it has placed on lobster harvesting. Chellie Pingree, when asked about them, Thelander said: “My comments were over the top and I apologize for that.” But, he added, he’s passionate about the issue and the people involved. Later on Wednesday, during a televised debate with Democratic Rep.

“You don’t negotiate with a rapist, and that’s what’s happening,” Thelander added, saying he had negotiated a lot in his time with the Navy. “NOAA wants to rape you and your family, and they are saying pick a child,” Thelander said at a rally in Portland in support of Maine’s lobster on Wednesday. Sure, new restrictions that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has put on the table are extreme, but to compare them to the violent sexual assault of women and children is way out of bounds.

So, when Ed Thelander, who is seeking to represent Maine’s 1st Congressional District, compared regulations on Maine’s lobster industry to rape, specifically child rape, I was horrified. One in six women have been raped in their lifetimes, leaving them with emotional – and sometimes physical – scars that will never fully heal.

Word vs word mobile