Speeding boats, fishing gear the leading causes of North Atlantic right whale deaths, conservation experts say

A top ocean conservation group in the country is calling on the feds to enforce boat speed limits along the Atlantic coast and issue stronger protections to prevent more deaths of North Atlantic right whales.

The group Oceana released an analysis Thursday that found hundreds of boats had sped through mandatory and voluntary slow zones designed to protect the critically endangered species in the Virginia Beach area in the weeks leading up to a North Atlantic right whale death.

There are just 340 right whales left in the world today, a number that has declined by 25% over the past decade, according to conservation scientists.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration determined blunt force traumatic injuries as the cause of death of the 20-year-old male right whale. The injuries mirrored those of a boat strike, a leading threat to such whales.

“Speeding boats and slow swimming whales are a recipe for disaster, but a preventable one,” said Gib Brogan, campaign director at Oceana. “Current vessel speed limits are ineffective and made worse by the fact that they aren’t even properly enforced.”

NOAA has proposed new boat speed regulations to protect North Atlantic right whales that are under review, and final safeguards aren’t expected until later this year.

Oceana says NOAA has known that the whales are swimming in danger in the waters off Virginia Beach, but the federal agency didn’t do anything to curtail such dangers, including rejecting a petition that would have implemented more stringent speed measures.

“It is beyond frustrating and sad that any North Atlantic right whale had to die because of government inaction,” Brogan said in a release. “Meanwhile, we continue to wait for our government to finalize its own proposal at a pace that feels like watching paint dry.”

Fishing gear used to trap lobster, crab and other species also takes a toll on North Atlantic right whales as they often get tangled in it, conservation officials say.

Researchers have found more than 80% of North Atlantic right whales have been entangled in fishing gear at least once, and more than 90% of entanglements cannot be linked to a specific gear type.

“Until there is more evidence, all of the fisheries using this gear are considered a risk,” the National Marine Fisheries Service said in 2021.