In mid-August, Congressman Buddy Carter (R) met with business leaders to discuss their concerns about the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s proposed expansion of its North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule that would impact recreational boating and fishing in Georgia.
Speakers included Rep. Carter, Georgia state representative Ron Stephens, James McCurry of the Georgia Ports Authority, Bruce Fendig of the Pilots Association and Captain Michael Kennedy of the Sea Island Company.
“This is very serious,” Rep. Carter said in a statement. “What NOAA is trying to do here we all want to help with, and that is to make sure we save the right whales. We don’t want to see any species go extinct, but what NOAA is trying to implement here is simply something that won’t work.
In Georgia, it’s estimated that the recreational boating industry has an economic impact of $7.8 billion and supports more than 27,000 jobs at nearly 700 businesses.
Rep. Carter crafted bipartisan legislation that would halt NOAA’s proposal and require the agency to implement real-time location monitoring technology solutions that would let boaters maintain safe distances from North Atlantic right whales. His legislation mirrors one that has been introduced in the senate.
