American lobster put on 'red list' to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales

Lobster nets and traps have become such a threat to the survival of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales that the crustaceans have been "red listed" as fruit of sea to avoid by an important fish sustainability guide.

Less than 340 of these whales exist today, with only 80 breeding females. The population is estimated to have declined by 28% over the past decade.

Seafood Watch, a sustainability guide for consumers and businesses published by the Seafood Aquarium Monterey Bay, California, downgraded Atlantic lobster caught by pot and gillnet fisheries within whale range to "avoid", its lowest rating.

Entanglement in fishing gear used to catch the lobster, crab and other species is one of the two main threats to right whales (the other being ship strikes). The whales' migration route - from their calving grounds in Florida to feeding in Canada - is littered with three-foot vertical lines from traps and traps, including 622,000 in US waters.

When a whale becomes entangled in fishing gear, the ropes can dig into its skin, weighing it down and preventing it from swimming or feeding properly. Over 80% of right whales have become entangled in fishing gear at least once.

In June, a court ruled that a US federal agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) , had violated both the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act by failing to quickly reduce the impacts of lobster fishing gear on North Atlantic right whales.

Other fisheries added to the "red list" include all Jonah crab fisheries and other pot, pot and gillnet fisheries. Gillnets are a wall of nets that hangs vertically in the water, while traps and pots al...