Whales need you to act locally, even the whales at the bottom of the world.

I was sailing north past Anvers Island, the largest island in the Palmer Archipelago of Antarctica, when two humpback whales surfaced, blew, and wheeled forward beneath the waves.

Whaling in Antarctic waters ceased in 2018. Today, humpbacks migrating from the Caribbean to New England, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland die from ship strikes and entanglements with lobster trap lines.

In Cape Cod Bay, lobstermen are testing ropeless trap gear with inflatable buoys that are activated when the lobster boat arrives on site. The trial period will run two more years before the government may decide to make ropeless traps mandatory.

In the meantime, we need Congress to pass the Stewarding Atlantic Fisheries Ecosystems by Supporting Economic Assistance and Sustainability (SAFE SEAS) Act. This will help cover the costs for lobstermen and women to acquire the new ropeless gear.

Help us pass the bill to expedite the deployment of ropeless lobster pots to save whales from gear entanglements, to avert a reason for increasing the cost of lobsters, and to free boat operators from having to steer around lobster pots to avoid propeller or rudder entanglements.

Wherever you may be, you can help save whales.

Whales benefit us all. The government has a responsibility to protect whales with legislation and regulations. Unfortunately, our government is reluctant to act, especially if it costs money. Lawmakers act when their constituents push them to.

This is the time to take the helm, hands on the wheel to steer for the destiny of whales.

The passage of responsible legislation has become more difficult. We overcome adversity with more people stepping up and taking shorter turns at the wheel. At the end of the watch, we tell the new watch what has happened and thank them. We stand down and sleep well, knowing competent people are at the helm and on the lookout.

Whales need you to act locally in small ways. You can help us go the distance to help whales by donating before our critical end-of-month fundraising deadline.

At Global Warming Solutions, the many mice of small gifts can make a whale of a difference during the long watch.

Rob