A proposal by the Biden administration to slow 35-foot vessels to 10 knots (11.5 mph) for most of the year would do nothing to save the right whale, but would devastate the East Coast economy, professional boaters and fishermen say.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says the proposed amendment to the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Regulations will prevent further population loss of the endangered right whale. There are currently fewer than 350 North Atlantic right whales with fewer than 100 active reproductive females.
"We have made progress in addressing the threat of vessel strikes, but additional action is warranted to further reduce the risk of lethal strike events to ensure the species can get back on track to recovery," said Kim Damon-Randall, director of Protected Resources at NOAA Fisheries.
The rule already affects boats more than 65 feet long. The proposal lowers that to vessels longer than 35 feet for sweven months up to 90 miles from shore along the majority of the East Coast, according to the Daily Caller.
Boating and fishing groups say local economies will be severely impacted, and it is unsafe for boats that size to travel at such slow speeds.
"When you talk about putting a 10-knot or an 11.5 mph speed limit on boats over 35 feet, you are suddenly making a day trip to the Gulf Stream or going offshore, in general, more dangerous and more time-consuming," R. Gettys Brannon, president of the South Carolina Boating and Fishing Alliance (SCBFA) told the Daily Caller. "It's not just the time it takes to travel out to sea that is dangerous, but how long it takes to steer cargo ships into the harbor."
"We represent about 23,000 jobs and over 600 related businesses in the $5 billion fishing and boating sector. And those are the businesses — when the federal government does not take into account any balance between the economy and ecology — are the ones that are going to be hurt the most," he added.
Chris Edmonston, president of the Boat Owners Association of the United States (BOAT U.S.) told Fox News that boats need to go at least 10 knots to get a "plane," the speed when the bow lowers to cut through oncoming waves.
"This rule is designed to reduce the risk of mortalities from vessel strikes and afford the species a greater opportunity to recover," an NOAA statement to Fox read, but the same statement said there have been only five deadly white whale strikes by vessels between 35 and 65 feet in the last 15 years.
"Based on actual interactions between recreational boats and right whales, the proposed restrictions are unjustifiable, ineffective and unnecessary," Jeff Angers, president of the Center for Sportfishing Policy told Fox, noting that NOAA's numbers indicate there is less than a one in a million chance of a fishing boat hitting a whale.
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