Rules Will Protect Whales From Fishing Gear

The government announced new rules Tuesday to protect endangered Atlantic whales from getting tangled in fishing and lobster gear.

The National Marine Fisheries Service rules, to be implemented over the next four years, include modifying some lobster and fish nets so they break away from a whale, closing areas of the ocean when whales are there and expanding a “rapid-response” network that tries to free entangled whales.

The plan aims to protect fin, humpback, minke and North Atlantic right whales.