Please Brake for Northern Right Whales
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According to a related report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, the revised guidelines met with considerable objections from Bush Administration officials prior to their publication.
The most contentious provision requests ships to hit their brakes, and travel at a speed of no greater than 10 knots, when they come within 20 nautical miles of their East Cost port destinations that coincide with the whale's range. The original guidelines requested a 30 nautical mile range.
Growing up to fifty feet in length, the whales current day population predicament is a consequence of their being easy targets for the whaling fleets that sailed out of New England since colonial days. Their population levels dropped so drastically that they were one of two species (including the Gray Whale) to receive world wide protection in the 1937 International Agreement For The Regulation Of Whaling.
Despite the early protection, their population levels failed to increase, and they remain one of the most endangered whale species in the world, with a population in the 300-400 range. Concerns about species survival are further anchored by the recognition that the most recent two decades worth of extra protective measures have done little to boost population levels (see generally 2004 Right Whale Recovery Plan).
The most recent announcement of a record setting 39 northern right whale births off the coast of Georgia and northern Florida in the winter of 2008, and record setting sightings off the coast of Cape Cod in early 2009 provide a recovery ray of light. However, taking the good news at face value, cautious optimism is still the call of the day.
The recorded birthrates and near shore sightings could indicate a blip up in the population, it could equally reflect a change in existing whale behavior patterns caused by a changing ocean ecosystem. In that case, the recent sightings would suggest that a larger percentage of the current population is migrating to places they are seen rather than an indication of an increase in the overall population.
In addition to strikes by ships, right whales are endangered by potential entanglements in lobster lines and other fishing gear.
© 2008. Patricia A. Michaels