Federal regulations still on track

time in the near future, to prevent boats from hitting endangered right whales along the North Atlantic Coast.

The rule imposes speed restrictions to no more than 10 knots on all vessels that measure more than 35 feet during specified times of the year for regions along the shore. The time periods are determined by the migration of the whales, and in Ocean City, the restrictions are set to be in place Nov. 1 through May 1.

While those dates would not have a huge effect locally, as the White Marlin Open and most recreational fishing offshore occurs in the warmer months, the proposal includes a clause that allows implementation of a temporary 15-day speed zone if a right whale is spotted.

The legislation was moving along, but not fast enough for right whale safety advocates, which resulted in the petition.

In the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Fisheries release, group members expressed grave disappointment with the denial.

“I’m outraged that the [Pres. Joe] Biden administration won’t shield these incredibly endangered whales from lethal ship strikes,” said Kristen Monsell, the oceans legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, in

Continued from Page 3 Saturday, the release. “This is an extinctionlevel emergency. Every mother right whale and calf is critical to the survival of the species. Protecting right whales from vessel strikes is even more crucial after the Senate’s recent omnibus bill, which delayed efforts to curb right whale entanglements in lobster gear.”

Data from the National Marine Fisheries Service shows vessel speeds of more than 10 knots have contributed to lethal collisions with whales.

According to the latest North American Right Whale Consortium report card, 340 right whales existed in the North Atlantic in 2021.

The data shows what officials called “a continued decline for the species” that has been plaguing it since 2017. The baleen whales have been experiencing what is known as an Unusual Mortality Event, which resulted in more than 14 percent of the population either dead or seriously injured over that time period.

According to NOAA’s report, entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes are the two primary causes of right whale mortality and serious injury.

The data also showed a concerning future outlook, as fewer calves were born in 2022 with no first-time mothers in the group.