"Proposed science-backed speed limit reductions could prevent whales from dying in vessel strikes, but boating advocates are pushing back, citing economic impacts."
"Along the eastern coast of North America, North Atlantic right whales and boats navigate the same waters, which can get dicey for both. Fully grown, the whales can top out at more than 15 meters and weigh nearly 64 tonnes. A midsize 18-meter-long pleasure yacht weighs about 36 tonnes and can cost more than US $1-million. “No mariner wants to collide with a whale,” says Greg Reilly, a retired US Coast Guard officer. “For obvious reasons.”
Still, the North Atlantic right whale is particularly vulnerable to boat strikes. Since 2017, the large whales have been increasingly found dead off the eastern United States and Canada, often after getting hit by a vessel. In response, in 2017, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries declared an unusual mortality event for the species, which under the Marine Mammal Protection Act “demands immediate response.”
The whales kept dying. By 2021, only an estimated 340 remained. The next year, NOAA Fisheries proposed changes to speed limits that are meant to reduce boat-whale collisions. The proposal would implement a mandatory speed limit of 10 knots (18.5 kilometers per hour) in places where whales are spotted, and, for the first time, impose speed restrictions on many recreational and commercial fishing boats.
There is strong science documenting the plight of the right whales and the connection between boat speed and deadly collisions. But opposition from industry groups and fishing advocates, as well as potential difficulties with implementation and enforcement, may stall the new rules—if they get approved at all."
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