A FWC employee measures wounds from a vessel strike on a deceased North Atlantic right whale

Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule Petitions

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The critically endangered North Atlantic right whale is facing extinction. This species is a part of an Unusual Mortality Event. Vessel strikes and entanglement are two of the major causes for the species decline.

North Atlantic right whales have experienced an ongoing Unusual Mortality Event since 2017. The whales impacted by the UME include confirmed dead, injured, and sick individuals. Individuals are only counted once in the UME. Scientists estimate that only about one third of North Atlantic right whale deaths are detected. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
In October 2023, NOAA Fisheries estimated that there were 356 (+7/-10) individual North Atlantic right whales remaining in the population as of 2022. The annual population abundance and death estimates displayed in this infographic were calculated using the model described in Linden 2023. The documented birth data displayed in this infographic reflect the number of mother-calf pairs that were visually sighted in the Southeast U.S. through the most recent calving season. Credit: NOAA Fisheries

How can you help?

There are two petitions that you can join to encourage your elected officials to take action to help defend the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. We will share links to both below and they each take only a couple of minutes to complete. Will you join us in adding your name to those who would like to see action taken to protect these whales? Please note that even if you aren’t in an “ocean state”, your voice is very important. Every state votes in Congress. And if you’ll notice in the proposed bill below, it was introduced by a Senator in a state that does not even touch the ocean. Your voice matters. Please tell your elected officials that this is important to you, the people they represent.

Defenders of Wildlife Petition

Tell the Biden Administration to finalize the vessel speed rule:

https://defenders.org/action

Oceana

Tell your federal government officials to protect North Atlantic right whales from extinction-causing legislation and oppose all efforts to delay needed protections.

Here is the link to join Oceana’s call to help defend North Atlantic right whales from attacks in Congress:

SPEAK UP for North Atlantic Right Whales! act.oceana.org

For more ways you can help whales, click the button below! Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the North Atlantic right whale and ways you can help to make an impact on their survival.


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