Protect Recreational Boating and Coastal Economies
Tell Congress to Fight NOAA’s Proposed Vessel Speed Regulation

Boater safety, manufacturing jobs, and coastal economies will be significantly hurt if the Biden Administration does not stop its ill-conceived changes to the 2008 North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Department of Commerce is overreaching with its proposed changes, and this unaccountable agency must be stopped before it decimates the boating and fishing community. Commerce and conservation can coexist. Without consulting the recreational boating industry or working with any marine technology companies, NOAA has proposed an unprecedented expansion of its ineffective rule that includes: 

• The addition of recreational boats 35 to 65 feet in length to the 2008 whale strike rule that originally encompassed only large vessels 65 feet and greater.

• A 10-knot (11 mph) speed restriction for up to 90 miles out from the shoreline, and in some instances, for up to 7 months out of the year.

• A geographic expansion of the existing Seasonal Speed Zones (SSZ) to span the vast majority of the Atlantic coast – from Massachusetts to central Florida.

We believe there is a more balanced approach that should be taken to protect the North Atlantic right whale; one that does not severely restrict boaters’ access to the Atlantic Ocean. Instead of this sweeping rule, NOAA must work with the recreational marine industry and the U.S. Coast Guard to establish solutions that utilize the best marine technologies available to reduce the risk of vessel strikes.

Write your members of Congress and urge them to tell the Biden Administration that this rule must be withdrawn in favor of the development and implementation of a technology-driven solution.