“So we have restrictions in place for North Atlantic right whales and they’re seasonal,” said Kim Damon-Randall, director of NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Protected Resources. “They turn on and off depending on the time of year and where the right whales are migrating.”
PEER, or Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, along with The Ocean Foundation, have called for action with a rulemaking petition that recognizes the situation and presents NOAA with a game plan.
“We viewed it as an opportunity to weigh in,” said [PEER] Pacific Director Jeff Ruch. “Let’s help the agency along, given that they need to report back to Congress that they at least have a strategy.”
With more and more ships out at sea, it just makes sense to have more regulations in place to compensate for traffic.