1 minute read
Science says no
by Marine Log
entanglements and vessel strikes.”
And what about commercial fishing’s impact on these animals? While net entanglement is a likely cause of many whale deaths, no one is likely to call for a moratorium on fishing.
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In 2017, NOAA Fisheries declared an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) for humpback whale strandings along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Florida. The event is ongoing and includes animals that stranded since 2016. NOAA says that as of February 8, there are 181 humpback whale mortalities included in the UME. Of the whales examined, about 40% had evidence of human interaction, either ship strike or entanglement. Vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear are the greatest human threats to large whales.
Van Drew’s legislation, even if passed, would, of course, face a certain veto by President Biden whose announced goal is to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030.
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