Slow down! It’s the right thing to do for right whales, after all.
Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are asking boaters in southern Maine to adopt a “slow zone.” The move is intended to protect the critically endangered right whale, which is believed to have migrated through the waters last month.
Boaters are asked to avoid the migratory area 70 miles east of Portland, Maine—or maintain a speed of less than 10 knots. The advice is voluntary and in effect until December 16.
The North Atlantic right whale is considered one of the most endangered cetaceans, with less than 350 individuals thought to be extant in the wild. In Maine, there is currently a lawsuit between local fishermen, government agencies and food distributors. Recently, Whole Foods stops buying Maine lobster about concerns surrounding the impact on endangered right whales.
Read more about the lobster and whale debate going on in Maine in This in-depth article from Mother Jones.
