September 29, 2020 — NOAA Fisheries announced that they are extending the vessel slow speed zone south of Nantucket due to North Atlantic right whales
NOAA initially announced the voluntary vessel speed restriction zone, or Dynamic Management Area (DMA), on August 31. The DMA was extended until September 29, and now it’s been extended again until October 9 after a New England Aquarium aerial survey observed an aggregation of whales in the area on September 24.
September 25, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
NOAA Fisheries announces an extension to the previously triggered voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area or DMA) south of Nantucket.
This DMA was originally triggered based on an August 31, 2020, sighting of an aggregation of right whales and previously extended until September 29, 2020. A New England Aquarium aerial survey observed an aggregation of whales in this area on September 24. Since the current DMA is set to expire in less than a week we are extending it through October 9, 2020.
Mariners, please go around this areas or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where groups of right whales have been sighted.
South of Nantucket DMA is in effect through October 9.
41 16 N
40 32 N
069 37 W
070 28 W
September 17, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
NOAA Fisheries announces an extension to the previously triggered voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area or DMA) south of Nantucket.
This DMA was triggered based on an August 31, 2020, sighting of an aggregation of right whales. On September 14, 2020, our aerial survey team observed an aggregation of right whales, South of Nantucket, MA so the DMA is extended through September 29, 2020.
Mariners, please go around this areas or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where groups of right whales have been sighted.
South of Nantucket DMA is in effect through September 29.
41 16 N
40 32 N
069 37 W
070 28 W
September 9, 2020 — The following was released by Vineyard Wind:
Vineyard Wind, the offshore wind farm project moving ahead 14 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, has reached a “Good Neighbor Agreement” with the Town of Nantucket and leading nonprofits on the island to create the Offshore Wind Community Fund. The agreement “makes changes to the wind project to lessen its visual impacts” and establishes a fund “that will support projects that benefit the entire Nantucket community,” wrote legal counsel Greg Werkheiser of Cultural Heritage Partners in the announcement.
According to a joint press release from the two entities, the fund will “will support local initiatives to combat the effects of global climate change, enhance coastal resiliency, and protect, restore, and preserve Nantucket’s cultural and historic resources.” Vineyard Wind has agreed to provide an initial $4 million, when construction financing is obtained for its first project, to seed the fund, which will be administered by the Community Foundation for Nantucket, with additional funds to be added with “subsequent projects” and through accepting contributions from other wind developers and philanthropists. An advisory committee will be overseen by CFNan with representatives from the town, Maria Mitchell Association, Nantucket Preservation Trust, and Vineyard Wind.
September 2, 2020 — Federal fisheries regulators are asking mariners to either go slow or find a route around an area south of Nantucket where groups of right whales have recently been spotted as the endangered mammals migrate.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it established a “dynamic management area” south of Nantucket where “an aggregation of right whales” was seen on Monday. There are estimated to be fewer than 400 right whales remaining on Earth. Boaters are encouraged to slow their vessels to 10 knots or less or to avoid the area altogether.
September 1, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
NOAA Fisheries announces a voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area or DMA) south of Nantucket.
This DMA was triggered based on an August 31, 2020, sighting of an aggregation of right whales.
Mariners, please go around this areas or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where groups of right whales have been sighted.
South of Nantucket DMA is in effect through September 15.
41 16 N
40 32 N
069 37 W
070 28 W
August 20, 2020 — A federal judge refused to ban lobster fishing in a large right whale feeding ground south of Nantucket on Thursday, but warned federal regulators they would meet with considerable disfavor if they fail to meet a new May 2021 deadline to publish a final rule to protect this endangered species from deadly entanglement in lobster fishing gear.
The environmental groups suing the National Marine Fisheries Service said U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg’s Thursday night ruling is important because it will force the federal government to move quickly to establish more right whale protections in the U.S. lobster industry. The groups claim federal regulators and lobstering states have been stalling.
“This order puts an end to that inaction, demanding that the government implement new protections that will help the right whale come back from the brink of extinction,” said attorney Jane Davenport of Defenders of Wildlife, one of the groups suing on behalf of the whale.
April 28, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council received a progress report during its April 14-15, 2020 webinar meeting on two framework adjustments to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. Here’s what’s in the works.
Framework Adjustment 7 – This framework is being developed to protect Atlantic herring spawning on Georges Bank. Here’s the discussion document. During this meeting, the Council voted to clarify that:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and the Council collaboratively manage the Area 1A fishery. The Council is discussing the role of state versus federal herring management with the Commission.
March 25, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
In Effect Through April 7
NOAA Fisheries announces the extension of the voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area or DMA) east of Boston.
This extension is based on a March 23, 2020, sighting of an aggregation of right whales from a Boston-area beach by private citizens.
There are currently three voluntary slow speed zones in place to protect right whales.
Mariners, please go around these areas or go slow (10 knots or less) inside these areas where groups of right whales have been sighted.
The East of Boston DMA is in effect through April 7, 2020.
42 45 N
42 04 N
070 11 W
071 10W
The DMAs off Nantucket are in effect through March 27, 2020.
Southeast of Nantucket
41 02 N
40 15 N
068 58 W
070 01 W
South of Nantucket DMA
41 11 N
40 22 N
069 32 W
070 37 W
Active Seasonal Management Areas (SMAs)
A mandatory speed restriction of 10 knots or less (50 CFR 224.105) is in effect in the following areas:
Mid-Atlantic: November 1-April 30
Cape Cod Bay: January 1-May 15
Off Race Point: March 1-April 30
More info on Seasonal Management Areas
Right Whales Are Migrating
North Atlantic right whales are on the move along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. NOAA is cautioning boaters and fishermen to give these endangered whales plenty of room. We are also asking all fishermen to be vigilant when maneuvering to avoid accidental collisions with whales and remove unused gear from the ocean to help avoid entanglements. Commercial fishermen should use vertical lines with required markings, weak links, and breaking strengths.
Right Whales in Trouble
North Atlantic right whales are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Scientists estimate there are only about 400 remaining, making them one of the rarest marine mammals in the world.
North Atlantic right whales are NOAA Fisheries’ newest Species in the Spotlight. This initiative is a concerted, agency-wide effort to spotlight and save marine species that are among the most at risk of extinction in the near future.
In August 2017, NOAA Fisheries declared the increase in right whale mortalities an “Unusual Mortality Event,” which helps the agency direct additional scientific and financial resources to investigating, understanding, and reducing the mortalities in partnership with the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and outside experts from the scientific research community.
More Information
Find out more about our right whale conservation efforts and the researchers behind those efforts.
Download the Whale Alert app for iPad and iPhone
Acoustic detections in Cape Cod Bay and the Boston TSS
Send a blank message to receive a return email listing all current U.S. DMAs and SMAs.
Details and graphics of all ship strike management zones currently in effect.
Reminder: Approaching a right whale closer than 500 yards is a violation of federal and state law.
March 17, 2020 — The federal government is extending three protective zones designed to help endangered whales until late March.
The protective areas are intended to protect North Atlantic right whales from ship strikes, which can be fatal.
Two of the zones are based on aerial surveys by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that observed two separate aggregations of the whales 31 nautical miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and 47 nautical miles southeast of Nantucket. NOAA said those protective areas are in effect through March 27.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Gloucester Daily Times