The federal government is withdrawing a proposal that would have More ships needed to slow down Officials said Wednesday they were in East Coast waters trying to save a disappearing species of whale.
This move at the end of the Biden administration will allow Endangered North Atlantic right whale Conservation groups say marine life is vulnerable to extinction as the Trump administration signals a shift away from environmental protection and toward supporting ocean industries. But federal authorities say the rules cannot be implemented until President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Monday.
New boat speed rules proposed by the National Marine Fisheries Service more than two years ago have been the subject of debate among shippers, commercial fishermen and wildlife conservationists, all of whom have a stake in the fate of the whales. There are fewer than 380 of these whales, which are prone to collisions with ships. its population plummeted recent years.
Gib Brogan, campaign director of the conservation group Oceana, said the Trump administration may be less enthusiastic about new shipping restrictions.
"While we have waited and watched the proposed rule progress and ultimately stall, we are also concerned about the water consequences of the current lack of protections," Brogan said. "We have also witnessed whales being killed by speeding vessels. Kill."
Thousands of public comments
The proposed rule would expand speed reduction zones along the East Coast and the size classes of vessels that must slow down.
The Fisheries Service received about 90,000 public comments on the issues, according to documents to be published in the Federal Register Thursday. The document states that due to the scope and volume of public comments, the service "has not had sufficient time to finalize this rule in this administration."
Katherine Silverstein, a spokesperson for the National Marine Fisheries Service, said the final rule to modify vessel speed regulations for North Atlantic right whales was developed by the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, which reviews new regulations before they are implemented. She confirmed the fisheries department had withdrawn the rule on Wednesday.
Conservation groups have long argued that stricter boat speed rules are necessary to protect the whales, in part because warmer waters appear to be causing the animals to stray from protected areas. The federal government first announced the proposal in the summer of 2022, and a coalition of environmental groups filed a lawsuit last year to try to speed up finalizing the rules.
However, some shippers believe that these rules may be Economic disruption to the boating and shipping industries.
"This is a big step forward for U.S. boat builders, coastal economies and outdoor enthusiasts across the United States," said Frank Hugelmeyer, president and CEO of the National Boat Manufacturers Association, the largest recreational boating industry trade association in North America. express. “The way this rule is drafted gives rulemaking a bad name and creates a dynamic that is entirely preventable.”
What to know about North Atlantic right whales
Right whales are huge creatures, reaching lengths of 45 to 52 feet. According to NOAA, adults can weigh up to 70 tons. They are distinguished by the signature white calluses on their heads.
They were once abundant along the East Coast, but their populations were severely damaged during the commercial whaling era. They have been a protected species for many years but have been slow to recover.
Whales migrate from their spawning grounds near Florida and Georgia to feeding grounds near New England and Canada. Scientists say the journey is becoming increasingly dangerous as the tiny organisms they eat seek cooler waters, causing whales to leave established protected areas.
Earlier this year, scientists were concerned after seeing nearly a quarter of the world's population living in the critically endangered North Atlantic region right whale In a place that was unusual and potentially dangerous for them, CBS Boston News Report.
The New England Aquarium said at least 82 whales were observed during research flights south of Long Island, New York — hundreds of miles away — in late July and August. new england and Canadian waters, where they typically occur during the summer.
Aquarium scientist Catherine McKenna told the station that scientists are not sure why the whales are in the area, but they appear to be following food.
"The actions they take in response to changing ocean conditions become more unpredictable," she said.
Why these whales are important
Whales sit at the top of the ocean food chain, where they help capture carbon from the atmosphere, according to the international nonprofit World Wildlife Fund.
Right whales are one of 6 of 13 whale species listed as endangered or vulnerable.
In 2010, their number exceeded 480, but fell by more than 25% over the next decade. Its numbers have increased slightly recently, but the animal remains critically endangered. The National Marine Fisheries Service said in the document that vessel strikes are "the primary cause of the species' decline."
Conservation groups pushing to finalize the slower boat speed rule say they are motivated in part by documented right whale collision deaths in recent years. In one highly publicized case last year, a calf stranded off Georgia suffered head injuries consistent with a boat strike, according to government investigators.