The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration has announced plans to roll back protections for North Atlantic right whales as part of the Trump Administration's ongoing efforts to deregulate across multiple government sectors.
There are fewer than 380 right whales left in the world, with roughly 70 females capable of bearing young. North Atlantic Right Whales, one of the most endangered species in the world, are frequently spotted by the dozens in the Gulf of Maine.
Vessel strikes and equipment entanglement are the leading causes of death, Rachel Rilee of the Center for Biological Diversity told Maine Public.
"NOAA Fisheries has determined that one death a year is too much for this species to be able to recover," she said. "So they really are in dire straits."
Rilee said reducing vessel speeds in endangered whale habitat has been proven to work. The speed limits have been in place since 2008.
"It has impacted mainly shipping companies, but those shipping companies have been in compliance for almost two decades now, she said. "It's built into their timelines, and they don't have an issue with compliance."
NOAA said it will explore new alternative tracking technology to protect the endangered species.
But Rilee said the nascent technologies aren't proven and that reducing vessel speed in mapped areas is one of the only proven ways to reduce deaths.
