Whale protection regulations criticized by opposing parties

[ad_1]

Caption: Right Whale # 3520, Centipede, photographed in Cape Cod Bay with its 2021 calf by the Center for Coastal Studies Right Whale Aerial Survey Team on 3/3/21. CCS, NOAA license # 19315-1

HYANNIS – New federal regulations to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales are expected to be introduced soon.

But they face opposition from the Maine Lobstermens Association despite the approval of marine animal experts, and are also criticized as not strict enough by environmentalists.

The association has filed a complaint against the National Marine Fisheries Service and the US Secretary of Commerce over the 10-year whale protection plan.

It includes regulations such as state-specific gear brands, more traps between buoy lines, more seasonal closures and requiring weaker ropes that whales can break.

Whales are routine visitors to Cape Cod waters and bring their hatchlings to Cape Cod Bay every year for food, but there are only around 360 in total, according to the Centers for Coastal Studies in Provincetown.

Animals are also very susceptible to collisions with ships and entanglement of fishing gear, with the center itself having freed a whale from an entanglement in late June.

Amy Knowlton, New England Aquariums right whale expert and senior scientist, denounced the lawsuit threatening to delay regulation, estimated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations’ fisheries division, to reduce mortality incidents by 69%.

What we need to stay focused on is that industries that share the ocean with right whales and other species were trying to understand their impact on these species and develop ways so that they can better coexist with these species. cash, Knowlton said.

This is why fishing without a rope and reducing the resistance to breaking the ropes are two very important measures that can help deal with this threat as well as closures, while just trying to keep the whales and gear separate. fishing.

The lobster advocacy group has said the new regulations are a drastic approach that will place a significant burden on owner-operated small businesses across the region.

The New England Aquarium also released a statement earlier this month saying the new federal rules were not tough enough to prevent the extinction of North Atlantic right whales, calling for more aggressive action on the part of the government.

Overall, we need to change several industries to be more mindful of the species and the oceans in which they operate, Knowlton said.

As climate change and warming waters continue to push whale populations further north, Knowlton underscored the importance of interregional and international approaches to research and threat mitigation, including law enforcement.

[ad_2]