According to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a non-profit advocacy group, federal regulators have failed to implement the “decisive measures” necessary to protect them “due in part to fishing industry opposition.”
“Due to a combination of increasing coastal ship traffic, smaller crew size, bigger vessels and faster speeds, fatal collisions between ships and whales are on the rise,” according to PEER. “Federal agencies are resisting actions designed to protect whales from collisions with ships. As a result, fatal ship strikes on whales are becoming a leading threat to survival. Deafening underwater noise levels also prevent whales from hearing approaching propellers.”