The glacial right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is one of the most endangered cetaceans on the planet. It is cataloged in the Critically Endangered section on the Red List of species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the most recent studies indicate that its total population, limited to the North Atlantic, is about 350 specimens.
Eubalaena glacialis is also known as the whale of the Basques because between the 16th and 19th centuries it was one of the favorite catches of whalers based in ports in the Basque Country, which caused its extermination in large areas of the Atlantic. It is currently a protected species but continues to be decimated by deaths due to entanglement in fishing nets, pollution, habitat alteration, water warming and impacts caused by boats.
To try to reduce this last cause of injuries and deaths, in 2008 the first regulations were approved in the United States to limit the speed at which large vessels that cross areas with the presence of these cetaceans can navigate.
Unfortunately for the glacial right whale, many boaters do not respect speed limits, as evidenced by a study carried out by the international organization Oceana.
The data presented (October 19) shows a comprehensive analysis of the speeds of vessels that navigated protected zones from November 2020 to July 2022. 84% of vessels passed through mandatory slow zones, and 82% of vessels passed through Voluntary slow zones failed to comply with speed indications. The new report, which provides an update to Oceana's 2021 analysis, shows that "stronger safeguards and increased enforcement are needed to save North Atlantic right whales," as summarized by this prestigious conservation entity.
Ship impacts are one of the main threats to these (and other) whale species in the North Atlantic, as they can cause death or injuries from trauma or cuts from propellers. The new study only looked at 65-foot vessels (1 foot = 0.3048 m in length), although boats of all sizes can cause fatal injuries to whales, as was shown in February 2021 when a recreational vessel of 54 feet struck and killed a calf of this protected species.
"Ships are speeding up, and whales are dying, it's that simple," lamented Oceana campaign director Gib Brogan. It is clear that boats are still not complying with speed limits and continue to do so in a dangerous place for glacial right whales. "Time and time again we see what happens when ships and whales collide. Even one man-caused death is one too many for this severely threatened species. If this species is to be saved from extinction, ships must slow down." their speed when these whales are present, and boats that speed must be held accountable," says Gib Brogan.
In 2008, NOAA (U.S. Ocean and Atmosphere Administration) issued the Vessel Speed Rule that created two types of management tools to slow ships to protect right whales: Seasonal Management Areas (SMAs) where North Atlantic right whales are expected to be present and dynamic management areas (DMAs) triggered by whale sightings.
The DMAs suggest that boats avoid the area and have a voluntary speed limit of 10 knots. In contrast, AMEs require vessels to not exceed 10 knots. In 2020, NOAA's Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office added a Whale Slow Zone program throughout New England and the mid-Atlantic to provide additional protections. These voluntary zones work the same as DMAs, except they can also be triggered by acoustic detections.
Oceana's analysis used data from Global Fishing Watch, an international nonprofit organization founded by Oceana in partnership with SkyTruth and Google. Oceana analyzed vessel speeds and self-reported location data from November 1, 2020, to July 31, 2022, to track speeds and positions in SMAs and DMAs/Slow Zones.
Highlights from Oceana's new analysis:
84% of the vessels exceeded the speed limit (10 knots) in the AMEs for both seasons.
An average of 86% of ships sped through the ports of New York and New Jersey.
An average of 85% of ships sped through the area from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Brunswick, Georgia.
An average of 74% of ships swept through calving fields and nurseries from Brunswick, Georgia, to northern Florida.
An average of 72% of ships accelerated at the entrance to Chesapeake Bay.
An average of 66% of ships accelerated at the entrance to Delaware Bay.
82% of boats ignored the recommended speed limit of 10 knots in DMAs/Slow Zones.
An average of 82% of vessels ignored voluntary speed limits in the region from Cape May, New Jersey, to central Florida in both seasons, making it the worst DMA/Slow Zone. cooperation.
In each SMA, there were examples of ships traveling faster than 30 knots, at least three times the mandatory speed limit (10 knots).
In each DMA/Slow Zone, some boats traveled more than 37 knots, which was at least three and a half times the voluntary speed limit (10 knots).
The ships that marked the United States, Panama, the Marshall Islands, Liberia and China had the most violations in the AME. Ships flagged to the United States, Marshall Islands, Panama and Liberia ignored voluntary speed limits in DMAs/Slow Zones more frequently.
40% of speed vessels were cargo vessels in both SMA and DMA/Slow Zones.
Following the published report, Oceana highlights that current ship speed regulations must also be improved to save this species from extinction and is urgently calling on NOAA to immediately release its final updated speed standard (proposed in 2022), with concrete proposals:
-Update the timing and location of seasonal mandatory slow zones to reflect the current footprint of North Atlantic right whales compared to when the whales were 15 years ago;
-Make compliance with voluntary dynamic management areas mandatory.
-Expand regulations to include boats 35 feet or larger.
-Improve surveillance, compliance and enforcement of vessel speeds in slow zones;
-Reduce federal exemptions in the Vessel Speed Rule
-Require vessels 35 feet or longer to use Automatic Identification System (AIS) devices at all times.
