Meet Max: The Stranger-Than-Life Character Behind Whale Regulations

by Fishermen’s Voice Staff

(This story was originally published in the Fishermen’s Voice in February 2012)

Whale regulations that forced thousands of lobstermen in New England to spend millions of dollars on replacing ground-lines can be traced back to someone those fishermen never met and would not likely recognize if they did. The stories about who that someone is are as varied as they are numerous.

Richard Max Strahan, at times known in the press as Mad Max, is otherwise known as Max Strahan. In the 1990s he began his activities to save the endangered right whale. He picked the ropes that link trawls of lobster traps on the bottom as his stated cause for the threat to the survival of the right whales.

His methods for promoting his cause generated publicity, but not much information about who he was. The result has been tales of his being a wealthy “Bruce Wayne” type crusader, a lawyer hell bent on pro bono lawsuits, a marine biologist with a lot of spare time, a homeless person with a lot of spare time, a guy with some contact at M.I.T., a crank with rudimentary knowledge of the law in filing law suits, the list goes on and on.

He was widely reported to have no address or visible means of support, which may qualify him for the homeless designation, but not necessarily. He may just be good at covering his tracks. He doesn’t look, dress or present an argument like a “professional” person. But he is well-informed, clearly intelligent and his determination may be the only thing about him as large as some of the myths.

He resides in the Boston area and holds a record of about 150 arrests. He has filed at least as many lawsuits. Comments about him on blogs support descriptions of his confrontational and combative personality. He is known to set up a table in busy locations—South Station is one—where images of whales are displayed. Curious passersby who are not responsive enough for him get his junk yard dog-style sales pitch.

If nothing else, Strahan’s ability to stir things up has brought researchers with a broader view to the threat to the survival of the right whale. More recently ship strikes, DOD experiments with high intensity deep water sonar, ocean acidity, and ocean pollution have all surfaced as much more likely threats than fishermen’s groundlines.

The stories of Max Strahan’s antics read like comedy at times. Posted on the web is a report of an incident where Strahan had taken a photograph on one of Boston’s Back Bay streets near a construction site. A police officer directing traffic approached Strahan accusing him of taking the officer’s picture. Strahan denied it and refused to let the officer delete the image.

When the officer reached for a radio to report the incident Strahan ran off, camera in hand. The officer took chase. Strahan ducked in and out of alleys, streets and between parked cars finally losing the officer. Strahan, having dropped into a pizza shop for a slice, was half way through it when he saw the officer looking in the window at him. As the officer turned to talk into his radio alerting the backup he had called in, Strahan ran out of the pizza shop. The chase was on again.

The officer and the backup eventually caught up with the late middle aged Strahan. They roughed him up, damaged his camera and, of course, generated a lawsuit.

In October 2008, Strahan was on a panel at MIT with researchers and scientists who have studied the plight of the world’s whales. Video of that panel discussion is available. Strahan presents his argument and puts a face on a name. There is a collection of links to stories, images, lawsuits filed, police reports on arrests, court documents that fill in the picture of who Max Strahan is. What he set in motion may eventually help the whales, but the cost to lobster fishermen at the outset seems the least likely to affect the larger problems whales face.