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A coalition of environmental organizations has urged the U.S. federal government to launch emergency regulations to safeguard the population of North Atlantic right whales, which now number less than 340, and are threatened by deadly ship collisions.
The North Atlantic right whale population is dwindling and faces significant risks from ship strikes. Despite the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) proposing rules over a year ago to decrease these collisions by mandating ships to slow down, a final speed rule has not been issued, a news agency report said.
The environmental groups highlight the urgency of implementing these rules before the whale's calving season when they migrate from New England and Canada to Florida and Georgia. The Center for Biological Diversity emphasized that even a single collision could further threaten the species, according to a report by the Associated Press.
While NOAA plans to finalize its rule this year, it could potentially coincide with the calving season and might include a later effective date. NOAA acknowledged the petition but refrained from commenting due to litigation.
The agency is contemplating enlarging "slow zones" on the East Coast and mandating more ships to adhere to these rules. Last year, NOAA declined the environmentalists' request to instantly apply new rules, emphasizing their focus on enduring measures to reduce vessel strike risks. They've received over 90,000 comments on the proposed rule, which are influencing their final decision.
The Associated Press adds:
The right whales were once abundant off the East Coast, but they were decimated during the commercial whaling era. They have been protected under the Endangered Species Act for several decades. The whales are also vulnerable to accidental entanglement in commercial fishing gear, and proposed new restrictions to prevent such entanglements have been the subject of a lengthy court battle between the federal government and fishermen.