Save right whales from death by collision with boats at sea

It's spring, and right whales are returning to Massachusetts's waters, mostly the sandy shoals off Cape Cod and the Islands. But, unfortunately, these gentle giants are in grave danger as more and more ships speed through the waterways.

Ship strikes are the leading cause of death for whales.

It's time for the National Marine Fisheries Service to slow down to 10 knots or less the speeds of all vessels. Ships were slowed down from March 1st to April 30th. There were no vessel-related right whale deaths during the spring season from 2008 until 2016.

On May 5th, 2016, a right whale calf was found dead off Morris Island in Chatham. It was the first right whale fatality by ship strike since speed restrictions were implemented in 2008.

The thirty-foot-long calf weighing about 10,000 pounds was the eighth right whale born to a whale named Punctuation. Mother and calf were observed swimming together in Cape Cod Bay on April 28. Necropsy indicated the whale calf was struck on May 2, 3, or 4.

As a result, speed restrictions were extended in the Race Point area after April 30.

On April 13, 2017, a juvenile female right whale was found dead off Barnstable, where speed restrictions were in effect from January 1st to May 15th. This second right whale death was the first ship strike death documented in or near a seasonal management zone since the speed rule was enacted.

Global Warming Solutions is committed to protecting our whales. But we need your help! Can you chip in $6 before our end-quarter deadline on the 31st to ensure we have the resources to advocate for these magnificent marine mammals?

Rob, this has already been a terrible year for whales, with 23 dead whales found along the East Coast since early December. Most of the whales lost were humpbacks (16) and minke whales.

In February, a 20-year-old male right whale, 43 feet long, was struck and killed by a vessel off Virginia Beach. The whale had multiple vertebral fractures and separations. There was no evidence of entanglements or evidence of trauma for the whale in normal to thin nutritional conditions.

This tragedy for whales is linked to record-setting pandemic buying habits that have resulted in more ship traffic. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has reported a 27 percent increase in cargo volume from 2019. In addition, ships are returning to retrieve empty cargo containers that accumulated in port and contributed to last year's supply-chain havoc.

To better protect right whales, NOAA Fisheries is expanding vessel speed restrictions and developing on-demand or "ropeless" fishing gear for lobster and crab.

NMFS will broaden spatial boundaries and the timing of the seasonal speed restriction areas. Five of the documented twelve ship strikes of right whales since 2008 were by vessels less than 65 feet. Vessels 35 to 65 feet long will no longer be exempted and must also abide by speed restrictions.

We can do better.

Chip in now and join the movement to protect our whales before our end-of-quarter deadline!

Right whales and people love sandy shores. New regulations call on us to be considerate and not bump into each other with lethal force. We are all in this together.

Rob