Act Now: Urge your Senators and Representatives to Protect Right Whales from Vessel Strikes!

Only 360 North Atlantic right whales still survive in the world. The two biggest causes of death for these whales are fishing gear entanglements and vessel strikes.

Slowing down vessels in times and places where right whales are at risk of being struck will save lives and help give this species a chance at survival. The Biden administration has proposed strengthening the existing vessel speed rule – but some in Congress are trying to block those improvements on behalf of special interests.

We need your Senators and Representatives to support a strong vessel speed rule and to shut down their colleagues who are trying to undermine right whale protections.

Tell Congress: Support a strong vessel speed rule to save endangered right whales from being killed by speeding vessels!

Message

Dear {contact_data~title}{contact_data~lastName},

As your constituent and wildlife advocate, I ask that you support NOAA Fisheries’ science-based rulemaking and urge the agency to finalize a strong right whale vessel speed rule immediately.

NOAA Fisheries’ recent assessment of the effectiveness of the current vessel speed regulation dating back to 2008 found that it has demonstrated progress but that ongoing strikes by vessels outside seasonal management areas and by vessels between 35 and 65 feet long showed additional action is necessary. When the agency published a proposal in August 2022 to update the current regulation, it solicited public comment for a total of 90 days and held three informational webinars.

Expanding the 2008 regulation is vitally important, given that vessel strikes are one of the two primary causes of right whale mortality and injury. Together, they are helping drive the species toward likely functional extinction within a few short decades, unless we act fast to turn the tide. The proposed regulation is based on the best available scientific data about where and when both static and dynamic speed zones must be established to protect right whales, especially mother-calf pairs and juveniles that are the most at risk.

The proposed amendments would strengthen the 2008 rule by: 1) expanding the boundaries of seasonal speed zones based on updated whale presence data; 2) making compliance with dynamic speed zones mandatory, not voluntary; and 3) applying the 10-knot speed limit in seasonal and dynamic speed zones to vessels 35 feet and longer (i.e., as long as or longer than a school bus). The proposed amendments expand the safety deviation exemption to protect human life and safety at sea.

The proposed rule is supported by a draft Environmental Assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act; a draft Regulatory Impact Review and Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis; and a technical memorandum assessing the current risk of right whale strike mortality along the East Coast that accounts for observed changes in right whale habitat use due to climate change and identifies areas of greatest risk.

These proposed changes would increase the size, timing, and effectiveness of vessel speed restriction zones up and down the East Coast, reflecting ongoing changes in the distribution and behavior of right whales in the region. To better manage the collision risk posed by mid-size vessels, the proposed changes will expand the regulations to a wider range of vessels and will also improve the existing framework of “voluntary” temporary slow zones established in response to right whale sightings. Both federal and third-party assessments have found existing voluntary zones to be ineffective, with low levels of cooperation.

Although there is a great deal of misinformation being circulated by opponents of the proposed rule, publicly available data show that an extremely small fraction of vessels on the East Coast will be affected by the rule. Only 4 percent of registered recreational vessels are 35 feet and longer. What’s more, seasonal speed zones will not be in effect in the summer months, when the vast majority of recreational fishing and boating trips occur. And boaters will always be able to exceed any applicable speed limit if human health or safety is at risk.

When finalized, these proposed rule amendments will represent a significant step forward in protecting the critically endangered right whale from preventable vessel strikes. I ask that you oppose any political interference in this science-based rulemaking process and urge NOAA Fisheries to finalize a strong vessel speed rule immediately.

Sincerely,
{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}

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