October 29, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
All vessels 65 feet (19.8 meters) or longer must travel at 10 knots or less in certain locations (called Seasonal Management Areas or SMAs) along the U.S. east coast at certain times of the year to reduce the threat of vessel collisions with endangered North Atlantic right whales. The purpose of this mandatory regulation is to reduce the likelihood of deaths and serious injuries to these endangered whales that result from collisions with vessel.Because vessels of all sizes can strike a whale, NOAA Fisheries also encourages vessels less than 65 feet in length to help protect right whales by slowing to 10 knots of less within active SMAs as well.
Migratory Route and Calving Grounds, November 1 – April 30
Block Island Sound waters bounded by:
40º51’53.7″ N 070º36’44.9″ W
41º20’14.1″ N 070º49’44.1″ W
41º04’16.7″ N 071º51’21.0″ W
40º35’56.5″ N 071º38’25.1″ W then back to starting point.
Within a 20-nm (37 km) radius of the following (as measured seaward from the COLREGS lines):
-Ports of New York/New Jersey:
40º29’42.2″N 073º55’57.6″W
-Entrance to the Delaware Bay
(Ports of Philadelphia and Wilmington):
38º52’27.4″N 075º01’32.1″W
-Entrance to the Chesapeake Bay
(Ports of Hampton Roads and Baltimore):
37º00’36.9″N 075º57’50.5″W
-Ports of Morehead City and Beaufort, NC: 34º41’32.0″N 076°40’08.3″W
Within a continuous area 20-nm from shore between Wilmington, North Carolina, to Brunswick, Georgia, bounded by the following:
A- 34º10’30″N, 077º49’12″W
B- 33º56’42″N, 077º31’30″W
C- 33º36’30″N, 077º47’06″W
D- 33º28’24″N, 078º32’30″W
E- 32º59’06″N, 078º50’18″W
F- 31º50’00″N, 080º33’12″W
G- 31º27’00″N, 080º51’36″W
and west back to the shore.
Give Right Whales Room
North Atlantic right whales are on the move along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. NOAA is cautioning boaters and fishermen to give these endangered whales plenty of room. We are also asking all fishermen to be vigilant when maneuvering to avoid accidental collisions with whales and remove unused gear from the ocean to help avoid entanglements. Commercial fishermen should use vertical lines with required markings, weak links, and breaking strengths.
Right Whales in Trouble
North Atlantic right whales are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Scientists estimate there are only about 400 remaining, making them one of the rarest marine mammals in the world.
North Atlantic right whales are NOAA Fisheries’ newest Species in the Spotlight. This initiative is a concerted, agency-wide effort to spotlight and save marine species that are among the most at risk of extinction in the near future.
In August 2017, NOAA Fisheries declared the increase in right whale mortalities an “Unusual Mortality Event,” which helps the agency direct additional scientific and financial resources to investigating, understanding, and reducing the mortalities in partnership with the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and outside experts from the scientific research community.