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With fewer than 380 North Atlantic right whales left, the species is on the brink of extinction. Yet the Trump administration is trying to roll back proven protections that help these whales survive. Submit a public comment urging officials to reject these rollbacks.
 

North Atlantic right whales travel along the east coast of the United States and Canada, where ships and fishing gear disrupt their habitat and migration routes. Vessel strikes, along with fishing gear entanglements, are the leading causes of death.

Since 2008, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has enforced seasonal vessel speed limits, requiring most vessels over 65 feet to slow down to 10 knots in areas where North Atlantic right whales are likely to be present. Vessels going this speed have a better chance of maneuvering away from a whale to avoid a collision. And in the event of a strike, if the vessel is going 10 knots or less, it is more likely the whale will survive.

This baby whale didn't survive.

These limits have been proven to reduce these deadly collisions. Even so, as part of the Trump administration's broader push to deregulate multiple sectors, NOAA has proposed rolling back these effective protections.

The proposed changes would rely on other tracking technologies to prevent vessel collisions with whales instead of maintaining speed limits. But these technologies have not been proven effective and should not replace a measure that already works. While such technologies are still being explored and tested, vessel speed limits must remain in place to protect these whales.

NOAA's own materials make clear that the species cannot recover without significantly reducing human-caused deaths and injuries. The administration is putting shipping industry profits ahead of a gravely endangered and iconic species.

Letter to Decision Maker(s) for reference:

Subject: NOAA-NMFS-2026-0364-0001 Reject Vessel Speed Rollback to Save North Atlantic Right Whales

With fewer than 380 individuals remaining, North Atlantic right whales are perilously close to extinction. Vessel strikes are one of the leading causes of death for this species, and seasonal speed limits in areas where these whales are known to travel have already been shown to reduce those deadly collisions. Weakening these protections now would be reckless and indefensible.

Replacing mandatory speed limits with unproven tracking technologies is not an acceptable substitute for measures that are already effective. Experimental tools should not be used to justify removing protections that save lives. Until any alternative has been conclusively proven to work, vessel speed limits must remain in place.

NOAA has already acknowledged that even one human-caused death per year is too many for this species to recover. Rolling back these protections would directly undermine that reality and place industry convenience above the survival of a critically endangered species. North Atlantic right whales need stronger safeguards, not weaker ones.

Please reject these rollbacks and keep vessel speed limits in place.

Sincerely,

Signed

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.