NOAA delays decision on Atlantic Speed Restrictions
by American Sportfishing Association 28 Nov 2023 11:19 PST
A pair of North Atlantic right whales, believed to be a mother and calve, swim in the waters of Cape Cod Bay April 14, 2019 near Provincetown, Massachusetts © Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images
A story by Bloomberg Law reports that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is delaying their expansion of the 2008 North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction rule into 2024.
This harmful proposal would create one of the largest restrictions on Americans' access to public waterways, endanger boaters, and have a devastating impact on economies up and down the Atlantic Coast.
Please note - there continues to be some confusion between the issues regarding the similarly named right whale in the Atlantic Ocean and the Rice's whale in the Gulf of Mexico. Adding to the confusion is that both involve NOAA Fisheries. The story above deals with right whale vessel speed restrictions in the Atlantic. In the Gulf of Mexico, NOAA recently rejected a petition to establish a year-round 10-knot (11 mph) vessel speed limit in the Rice's whale "core" habitat.
Learn more here.