Cape Cod Bay Reopens, 1 Day After Lobstermen Protest Delay To Opening Season

Cape Cod Bay is officially open for business as a seasonal ban on lobster fishing lifts Friday.

The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries pauses lobstering every year in an effort to protect the North Atlantic right whale. The right whale is an endangered species with a population just over 400.

The annual ban begins in February and typically lasts three months. But in May this year, right whales were still in the area. So the state extended the moratorium.

That prompted lobstermen to stage a protest in Plymouth on Thursday. Some say that Massachusetts lobstermen already do more than their fair share to protect the whales and can't afford to delay their fishing season any more.

Dave Casoni, a lobsterman based in Sandwich

Regina Asmutis-Silvia, executive director of Whale and Dolphin Conservation North America, which tweets @whales_org_na.