NOAA’s Unprecedented Regulation Poses Major Consequences for the $862 Billion Outdoor Recreation Economy.

In August 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released changes to its North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule. Proposed changes include:

• A mandatory 10-knot (11 mph) speed restriction for all boats 65 feet and greater be lowered to include all boats 35 feet and greater in length.

• An expansion of the existing Seasonal Speed Zones (SSZ) to span the vast majority of the Atlantic coast – from Massachusetts to Florida.
• A 10-knot speed restriction up to 90 miles out from the shoreline, in some instances, for up to 7 months out of the year.
  
  

Write your members of Congress and urge them to engage the Biden administration and NOAA so that the rule is stopped.

Instead of this sweeping rule, NOAA must work with the recreational marine industry and U.S. Coast Guard to establish solutions to track whale migration patterns and enforce existing restrictions.