Portland, Maine. The North Atlantic and North Pacific right whales are now among the most endangered species on this planet, and the Endangered Species Act protects both species in the United States.
Right whales are enormous whales that can weigh more than 88,000 pounds. Right whales have a docile temperament and have a tendency to stay close to the coast.
Just a few years ago, the right whale population was closer to 450. But due to global warming and disastrous collisions with huge ships, it has now put them at risk.
The lobster fishing business in the United States will be subjected to a string of new harvesting limitations as part of a new government initiative to conserve the critically endangered whale species.
These new laws have been in discussion for the past few years, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently revealed the finalized ones in a press release dated August 31st.
North Atlantic right whales, of which only about 360 still exist, are threatened by deadly entanglement in fishing gear.
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The new rules by NOAA Fisheries were introduced for lobster and Jonah crab trap and pot fisheries in the Northeast United States.
The North Atlantic right whale population is highly endangered and diminishing, and NOAA Fisheries and partners are committed to conserving and rebuilding it.
The reduction which began in 2010, has escalated significantly in 2017, when 17 deaths were reported.
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Since then, 34 right whales have died and 16 have been severely hurt or killed, all mostly as a result of entanglements and vessel strikes.
The NOAA estimates that the new guidelines will reduce the risk of entanglement-related death and serious injury to whales by about 70%. The restrictions are meant to focus on lowering the number of vertical ropes in the water.
The new guidelines will cut down on the number of rope lines that connect buoys to lobster and crab traps.
It also necessitates the use of weaker ropes so that whales can break free more easily if they get entangled.
The new restrictions, according to NOAA, is also applicable to the wide expanse of the ocean where trap rope fishing is forbidden or restricted.
Right whales were previously plentiful along the East Coast, but they were devastated by commercial whaling throughout the 19th century.
They’ve been on the endangered species list since 1970, and environmentalists have recently raised concerns about high mortality and low reproduction in the remnant population.
In a statement, Michael Pentony, regional administrator of NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, stated, “The new measures in this rule will allow the lobster and Jonah crab fisheries to continue to thrive, while significantly reducing the risk to critically endangered right whales of getting seriously injured or killed in commercial fishing gear.”