Bill to Protect Right Whales from Shipping traffic - pending in Senate

[Annces]

(I got an update from my representative regarding this today).

Right Whales being struck my shipping traffic.


Senator John Kerry (D-MA) recently introduced legislation in the United States Senate that requires the Secretary of Commerce to issue regulations to reduce the incidence of vessels colliding with North Atlantic Right Whales by limiting the speed of vessels. This bill is currently pending within the U.S. Senate. Should this bill pass the Senate, it will be considered by the U.S. House of Representatives.

You may want to contact your representative about this one to help the Right Whales from the Bush administration.

Right Whale Ship Strike Reduction

http://www.nero.noaa.gov/shipstrike/index.html

They feed on the surface and there are only about 350 left.

[One_Life_To_Give]

1. How much will it help?

We are already requiring mariners to report each siting of a Right Whale. And issuing routine broadcasts as to where they are so ships can alter course around them. Although as they may be required to stand by within sight of these creatures till someone from Cetacean research can show up. Many ships may be reluctant to report a sighting.

Seems it would be more effective to Tag the 350 remaining Northern Right Whales and use satelites to track their movements so a floating exclusion zone could be maintained around them.

[Annces]

2. Well it puts rules firmly in place

Why wouldn't it help to make sure the ships travel at 10 knots?


excerpt

"The rule proposes a speed restriction of 10 knots or less during certain times in each of three major regions along the U.S. east coast (Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast). These proposed measures are adapted to right whale seasonal occurrence in each area, as well as commercial ship traffic patterns and navigational concerns. Speed restrictions would apply to vessels that are 65 feet in length or greater, except federal agency vessels. The rule also proposes a speed restriction to protect whales that appear in times and places when these seasonal measures are not in effect, through “dynamic management.”

[kristopher]

4. Let me ask a question about the policy of reporting sightings

Has it worked? It's been in effect for somewhere around 3 years now hasn't it? What has happened to the number of strikes? I realize we're dealing with small samples, but I haven't heard anything since the program was introduced.

[One_Life_To_Give]

5. False sense of security, shortcuts

How most commercial Captains will react to the rules is the question. And then how do you enforce it. Will the enforcement actions cause more risk to the whales than the problem trying to be prevented?

[kristopher]

6. That was my first thought when I heard about it at a meeting just before it was implemented

I suggested they at least construct a profile of Captains and senior crew to evaluate their attitudes toward "trophy kills" of wildlife. I know a couple of good old boys that have their Capt. papers and I wouldn't want to provide them with the known location of a whale. At the briefing, there was no mention of the requirement to standby and wait for NOAA. I wonder if they took may comment seriously and changed the procedure?

[phantom power]

3. 350.

One unexpected nudge away from zero.