The North American right whale is in dire straits. The species has been listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act since 1970 and, according to the NOAA, research suggests that there are fewer than 350 of the animals remaining. However, even that number belies how severe the situation is for the species. Marine biologist Michael Moore of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (no relation to the filmmaker) warned federal lawmakers that, due to the fact there are fewer than 70 breeding females left, “The species will be functionally extinct in 2035.”
Research from the NOAA has suggested that an effective method of protecting these whales is to placing speed restrictions on vessels traveling through their habitat. As a result, there are already seasonal speed restrictions in place requiring vessels 65 feet or longer to slow to 10 knots when whales are expected to be present in an area. Now, the NOAA proposes to expand that speed limit to apply to boats over 35 feet long, as France 24 reports.
On Thursday, whale advocates addressed a Capitol Hill hearing to make a case for the rule change. “North Atlantic right whales are on the brink of extinction and human activity is to blame. In our waters, vessel strikes are the leading cause of death and injury. We see firsthand the trauma and devastation these vessel strikes cause for the species– blunt force trauma, lacerations and death,” said Katie Moore of the International Fund for Animal Welfare. “The most effective way to reduce collisions is to slow vessels down in right whales’ habitat. We need to speed up the process of slowing down these vessels before it’s too late.”
However, the proposed rule change has been met with opposition from the boating and fishing industries, as well as conservative lawmakers. These groups argue that being required to travel at a slower speed will endanger boat captains and harm small businesses due to lost income from canceled charters.
However, conservation groups begged to differ. The same 2020 NOAA study stated that “Our investigation of navigational safety revealed no indication of impacts from implementation of the speed rule. Finally, an economic impact assessment was conducted to evaluate the cost of compliance to the regulated community. The yearly cost to industry is estimated to be $28.3 to $39.4 million annually, with the majority of the cost (58 -70%) borne by the container ship sector.”
“The only lever we have to pull is on vessel strikes right now,” said Jane Davenport, a senior attorney with Defenders of Wildlife. “We cannot save this species if Congress refuses to let the agency do what it needs to do.
