Save right whale mothers and calves: Tell the Biden administration to take action today!

FOUR right whales have already been killed by vessel strikes this year, bringing this vulnerable species closer to the brink of extinction.

We cannot allow these agonizing deaths to continue. It’s time for the Biden administration to finalize the long-delayed vessel speed rule to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from vessel strikes.

Sign your comment to the Secretary of Commerce urging immediate action to save right whales from being struck and killed by vessels!

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Defenders of Wildlife

Dear Secretary Raimondo,

I write to urge you and the Biden administration to act quickly to finalize the August 2022 proposal to expand a 2008 vessel speed rule to save the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale from deadly vessel collisions. Vessel strikes are a major factor in this species’ approaching extinction.

In early January 2024, recreational fishermen documented the first right whale calf of the season with horrific injuries to its head and mouth clearly caused by propeller wounds. Tragically, that calf has since died of its injuries, having spent most of its short life in unimaginable pain. And in February 2024, a one-year-old female right whale was also killed by a vessel strike, not only cutting short her life but also preventing her from reaching adulthood and contributing her own calves to the population.

Vessel strikes are both foreseeable and preventable. Right whale calves currently have a 1 in 14 chance of being struck and killed by a vessel before their first birthday. With only 70 breeding females remaining, every single mother-calf pair is vital to the right whale’s survival. Yet despite recognizing the urgent need to expand the 2008 vessel speed rule to prevent these deaths, the administration has inexplicably dragged its feet on finalizing the August 2022 proposed rule.

Slowing vessels 35 feet and longer to 10 knots during critical periods when right whales are present is a commonsense solution to the existential threat vessel collisions pose to this species’ very survival. At higher speeds, vessels cannot maneuver to avoid these whales, even if they detect them in the first place, which is rare. Vessel collisions with large whales are also extremely risky for mariners. Most U.S. recreational boaters and fishermen will not be affected by vessel speed restrictions during the peak boating season between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

North Atlantic right whales and other large whales provide extraordinarily valuable benefits to U.S. coastal economies that receive significant income from whale-watching tourism. Whales also contribute to healthy fisheries and promote climate resilience by playing a significant role in the ocean food web, including by fertilizing phytoplankton, catalyzing the production of 50% of oxygen in our atmosphere and capturing 40% of all carbon dioxide produced. We cannot protect our ocean-based economic sectors and combat climate change unless we protect whales from further declines caused by vessel strikes.

You have the responsibility under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act to do everything in your power to protect this species from becoming extinct. I urge you and the Biden administration to follow through on your commitments to addressing the twin extinction and climate crises by protecting right whales and finalizing the August 2022 proposed rule immediately.

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

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