NOAA Considering Changes to Boat Slow Zones that May Undermine Protections for North Atlantic Right Whales
Boat strikes are a top threat to critically endangered North Atlantic right whales
Press Release Date: March 4, 2026
Location: WASHINGTON
Contact:
Erin Vande Ven | email: EVandeVen@oceana.org | tel: 303.829.3877
Today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published an advance notice that it will consider deregulation of existing rules that protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from deadly ship strikes. The comment period on the proposed changes ends June 2.
With only about 380 North Atlantic right whales remaining, vessel strikes are one of the top threats to this species. After extensive public review in 2008, NOAA issued the Vessel Speed Rule that created two types of management tools to slow large boats and protect the whales from boat strikes. First, the rule required boats 65 feet or longer to slow down to 10 knots in Seasonal Management Areas (SMAs) where North Atlantic right whales are expected to be present. Second, the rule established a voluntary speed limit of 10 knots in Dynamic Management Areas (DMAs), which are triggered by North Atlantic right whale sightings. The DMA guidance suggests that ships slow to 10 knots, whereas the SMA guidelines require vessels to slow down to 10 knots or less.
In 2020, NOAA Fisheries’ Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office added a “Right Whale Slow Zone” program throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic to provide additional protections. These voluntary zones function the same as DMAs, except they can also be triggered by acoustic detections in addition to visual ones.
Studies suggest boats traveling under 10 knots are less likely to kill North Atlantic right whales should they collide.
“Speed limits on the water are needed risk reduction, not unnecessary restriction,” says Oceana Senior Campaign Director Gib Brogan. “The Vessel Speed Rule saves lives – both humans and critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. A vessel colliding with a whale can injure or kill people, destroy vessels, and is often fatal to the whale. Vessel strikes are a top threat to this species.
“The existing, 18-year rule helps mitigate vessel collisions and gives North Atlantic right whales a better chance at survival. Oceana encourages the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to not weaken the current rule or adopt unproven strategies and technologies that will only put whales and humans at risk. Instead, NOAA should use this opportunity to build upon its past research and expertise to improve the existing protections to support the recovery of the North Atlantic right whale and other large whales in the U.S. Atlantic.”
Background
North Atlantic right whales were a frequent target of whalers as they were often found near shore, swim slowly, and tend to float when killed. They were aggressively hunted, and their population dropped from peak estimates of up to 21,000 to perhaps fewer than 100 by the 1920s. After whaling of North Atlantic right whales was banned in 1935, their population increased to as many as 483 individuals in 2010. Unfortunately, that progress has reversed.
Collisions with boats is a leading cause of North Atlantic right whale injury and death. They are slow, swimming at speeds less than 4 miles (or an average of 6 kilometers) per hour, usually near the water’s surface. They are also dark in color and lack a dorsal fin, making them very difficult to spot. Studies have found that the speed of a vessel is a major factor in vessel-related collisions with North Atlantic right whales. At high speeds, vessels cannot maneuver to avoid them, and these whales swim too slowly to be able to move out of the way. This puts them at great risk of being struck, which can cause deadly injuries from blunt-force trauma or cuts from propellers.
Entanglements in fishing gear used to catch lobster, crab, and other species is another leading cause of North Atlantic right whale deaths. Around one-quarter of the population is entangled in fishing gear from the United States and Canada each year, and about 85% have been entangled at least once. Ropes have been seen wrapped around their mouths, fins, tails, and bodies, which slow them down; make it difficult to swim, reproduce, and feed; and can cause death. The lines cut into the whales’ flesh, leading to life-threatening infections, and are so strong that they have severed fins and tails, and cut into bone.
A national poll of American voters conducted in 2024 found that an overwhelming majority support stronger protections for North Atlantic right whales. The poll found that 86% of American voters agree that North Atlantic right whales should be protected from human-caused threats to help prevent their extinction, and 83% agree that ocean activities that endanger North Atlantic right whales, like shipping, boating, and vertical-line fishing, should be adapted to protect them. Eight in ten respondents are in favor of the U.S. government making policy changes to save North Atlantic right whales from going extinct. Oceana’s poll, conducted by the nonpartisan polling company Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®, surveyed 1,053 registered U.S. voters from June 28 to 30, 2024.
To learn more about Oceana’s binational campaign to save North Atlantic right whales, click here.
