Boat speed regulations are intended to protect the North Atlantic right whale

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – It’s been two years since NOAA proposed amendments to federal ship speed limits to protect Georgia’s marine mammal, the North Atlantic right whale. Scientists estimate that there are only 340 right whales left in the world, and boat strikes are one of their main killers.

NOAA’s speed amendments are in the final stages of regulation in Washington. Conservationists are calling on the White House to finalize the regulations.

Currently, boats 65 feet and longer must slow down to 10 knots in some areas of the East Coast.

Under the new rules, boats as short as 35 feet would have to slow down.

The White House has been meeting with stakeholders related to this issue. Environmentalists say they expect the Biden administration to finalize the regulation any day now.

It is also the last chance for government opponents to speak out.

David Peterson is the charter captain of the Salty Mistress on Hilton Head Island. “You never know what you’re going to get. You can target one species and end up with a 100-pound wahoo by surprise,” Peterson said. “This is the Gulf Stream. So we have to go from here to the very end.

He has been fishing off our coast for almost twenty years, turning his passion for deep-sea fishing into a way of life.

But Peterson says it may soon become more difficult for him to move clients overseas.

NOAA has proposed expanding ship speed regulations along the East Coast to save the nearly extinct North Atlantic right whale. The federal agency said that since 2017, whales have been dying faster than they can reproduce.

“Ship strikes are the main killer of these whales,” said Hermina Glass-Hill of Oceana’s.

Dramatic images show the damage a boat collision can cause.

“These ships need to slow down now to protect them,” Glass-Hill said.

The epicenter of the problem has become Georgia and South Carolina, home to the country’s two busiest ports, as well as the North Atlantic right whale.

“This is the only area in the Atlantic Ocean where right whales give birth to their calves,” Glass-Hill said.

WTOC Investigates requested a list of vessel speed violations issued in the Southeast region by NOAA since 2017. During that time, NOAA issued nearly $1 million in speeding tickets. Speeding tickets don’t come cheap.

In 2020, a boat owner caught speeding in a seasonal slow zone near Wilmington, North Carolina, was fined nearly $100,000. High fines that NOAA data shows these mandatory slowdown zones can work. NOAA data shows that the number of people obeying speed limits in mandatory slow zones from North Carolina to Georgia has increased by more than 50% over the past nearly two decades.

Currently, ships larger than 65 feet are legally required to travel at 10 knots in seasonal slowdown zones. The proposed rule would double the size of these zones to cover most of the East Coast.

“You should limit the number of ships,” Peterson said. “When they get close to the 100-mile range, it makes sense to limit them. But why smaller boats?”

“A vehicle of any size that moves too quickly through the water poses a huge threat to North Atlantic right whales,” Glass-Hill said.

Under the proposed regulations, a 10-knot speed limit would apply to boats over 35 feet in length.

Salty Mistress is 38 years old. “It literally shut us down,” Peterson said.

Peterson and many other East Coast anglers say they’re looking forward to finding a solution.

“We need to find a way to help protect these species,” Peterson said.

However, they fear that the new speed limits will impact their businesses and lifestyles.

“We go out as far as 100 miles into the Gulf Stream. It takes us 3 hours. If they do that, it will take us at least 5-6 hours to get there,” Peterson said. “99% of people would just say we’d rather just not fish.”

Last year, fishing brought in more than $2 billion in Georgia and more than $1 billion in South Carolina, according to the American Sportfishing Association.

“You typically make up to 100-120 trips. It could cost well over $200,000 to $300,000,” Peterson said. “You’re taking food from our table.”

Opponents of the proposed rule say the solution is not to slow down technology.

“Instead of assuming there’s a whale somewhere, it would be a lot easier to know where it is,” Peterson said.

“Critically endangered North Atlantic right whales require immediate protection. They don’t have time to wait for the technology to be developed after one or two years,” Glass-Hill said.