November 7, 2022 — As it seeks sweeping restrictions on lobstering in order to protect North Atlantic right whales, the federal government also wants to slow down more boats in hopes of reducing collisions with the endangered marine mammals.
A proposal to expand speed limits along the East Coast might have little impact on vessels off Maine, and is not directly linked to two lawsuits over pending federal regulations for the state’s lobster fishery.
Still, the groups involved in that litigation recently weighed in on the speeding proposal, which is part of broader efforts to save right whales from extinction.
The Maine Lobstermen’s Association and four conservation groups supported the stricter limits, but took issue with other aspects of the rules and reiterated the priorities that have driven their court battles.
The current rule says vessels 65 feet or longer have to slow down to 10 knots or less in certain areas at certain times. Earlier this year, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration proposed the new rule that would greatly expand those areas and also apply the speed limit to vessels as small as 35 feet in length.
The speed zones stretch from Massachusetts to Florida. Boats off the coast of Maine would only be required to follow the limit temporarily if right whales are spotted by survey planes or detected by auditory buoys.