Endangered right whales at risk as new protection rules face further delay

July 19 ------ The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee has advanced legislation that would extend the delay on new conservation measures aimed at protecting endangered North Atlantic right whales from fishing gear entanglements.

The bill, H.R. 9436, would postpone the implementation of new regulations designed to reduce whale entanglements in lobster and Jonah crab fisheries for an additional seven years. The proposed extension follows an earlier provision included in a 2022 spending bill, which allowed the government to defer action until early 2029.

With an estimated population of only around 380 individuals remaining, entanglement in fishing gear continues to be identified as one of the most significant threats to the survival of North Atlantic right whales. “For far too long, North Atlantic right whales have been getting entangled in fishing gear while we’ve debated and studied what to do about it. They needed more protections in 2022 when Congress ignored a mountain of evidence and decided that insufficient efforts were enough. Now, once again, lawmakers are trying to pass the buck,” said Oceana Senior Campaign Director Gib Brogan.

The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee has advanced legislation that would extend the delay on new conservation measures aimed at protecting endangered North Atlantic right whales from fishing gear entanglements.

The bill, H.R. 9436, would postpone the implementation of new regulations designed to reduce whale entanglements in lobster and Jonah crab fisheries for an additional seven years. The proposed extension follows an earlier provision included in a 2022 spending bill, which allowed the government to defer action until early 2029.

With an estimated population of only around 380 individuals remaining, entanglement in fishing gear continues to be identified as one of the most significant threats to the survival of North Atlantic right whales. "We know more than enough to take action to better protect North Atlantic right whales. If this bill passes, all we will do is study this problem until these whales are extinct. Instead, Congress needs to support timely management that will guide this species into recovery instead of turning a blind eye to the advice of the experts who have spent their careers dedicated to this species," said Brogan.

Source: safety4sea.com