The Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) is asking a federal judge to approve a temporary restraining order against US Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Janet Coit, assistant administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to allow lobstermen to fish in an area NOAA has temporarily closed to protect right whales.
In late January, NOAA issued an emergency closure from February 1 through April 30 for lobster fishermen operating in what it described as a "wedge area" in federal waters off of Massachusetts.
