Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales skim feed and sub-surface feed in the waters off of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, U.S., March 27, 2023.
REUTERS/Lauren Owens Lambert/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBOSTON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - More than 80% of ships are speeding through "go slow" zones set by environmental regulators along the U.S. East Coast to protect endangered North Atlantic Right Whales, according to a report released on Thursday by environmental group Oceana.
North Atlantic Right Whales are on the brink of extinction, numbering just 340, with ship strikes among the top causes of death.
Oceana said it analyzed boat speeds from November 2020 through July 2022 in slow zones established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) along the East Coast and found that 84% of boats sped through mandatory slow zones, and 82% sped through voluntary slow zones.
"NOAA Fisheries’ approach evaluates overall compliance based on the percent of the total distance traveled by AIS-equipped vessels in the speed zones at compliant speeds," it said.
Persons:
Lauren Owens Lambert, Oceana, — it's, Gib Brogan, Richard Valdmanis, Sandra Maler
Organizations:
REUTERS, Rights, U.S ., Atlantic, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Reuters, NOAA Fisheries, AIS, Fishing Watch, Oceana, Google, Thomson
Locations:
Cape Cod , Massachusetts, U.S, U.S . East Coast, Oceana, East Coast