I'm going to go ahead and write about whales one more time today because why not. This time, though, we have the government doing something to protect whales. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (which apparently exists, and is part of the Department of Commerce) has instituted a speed limit for ships that are coming near to the North Atlantic right whale. From the Washington Post:North Atlantic right whales, which were intensely hunted in the 1800s during the height of the U.S. whaling boom, now number fewer than 400 and rank among the most endangered animals in the world. The rule issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration requires large ships to slow to 10 knots (11.5 mph) during parts of the year when they come within 20 nautical miles of several East Coast ports in areas where the whales feed, reproduce and migrate.A few years back, the zone was going to be 30 nautical miles (roughly 840,000 land miles (not true)), but "shipping interests" and "Aides to Vice President Dick Cheney" said, hey, how about not so much? We got things to ship here. So the NOAA scaled the zone back down to 20 nautical miles. Which it seems will make a difference, but not an entirely huge one.
Researchers at NOAA's Fisheries Service estimate that about 83 percent of right whale sightings in the mid-Atlantic region are within 20 nautical miles of shore, while the 30-mile limit would encompass 90 percent of all sightings.I have no idea what a Fisheries Service is, but I think it sounds awesome. Anyhow, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (who released the report we discussed here) seems relatively okay with the ruling, saying it is "better than nothing."Since 2006, when this rule was first discussed, at least three right whales have been killed by ships, two wounded. takepart here to see how you can get involved with the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
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