Trump administration considering looser protections for North Atlantic right whale
Trump administration considering looser protections for North Atlantic right whale
ReutersTue, March 3, 2026 at 8:29 PM UTC
0
Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales skim feed and sub-surface feed in the waters off of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, U.S., March 27, 2023. REUTERS/Lauren Owens Lambert
March 3 (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Tuesday took the first step toward loosening regulations that protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale from vessel strikes.
Here are some details:
Advertisement
* The National Marine Fisheries Service said it isconsidering replacing seasonal vessel speed restrictions withwhale management areas and technology-based measures to avoidvessel strikes. * There are about 380 North Atlantic right whales. Theirmain threats to survival include entanglement in fishing gearand collisions with vessels, the agency said. * NMFS, a division of the Commerce Department, is seekinginformation and comments for 90 days. * During the Biden administration, NMFS proposed to toughenvessel speed restrictions, but the rule was never finalized.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
Source: “AOL General News”
