Time is running out for the recreational boating industry to comment on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s proposed North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule.
NOAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking and established a public comment period on the proposed regulation, which could limit most vessels 65 feet and larger to 10 knots in specific areas along the East Coast during certain times of year.
According to a statement from the National Marine Manufacturers Association:
“NOAA’s review follows the agency’s 2024 withdrawal of a sweeping 2022 proposal to expand vessel speed restrictions along much of the East Coast. The recreational boating community raised serious concerns that the proposal treated small recreational vessels the same as large commercial ships, failed to account for vessel design and operating conditions, and overlooked the growing role of marine technologies that can help reduce vessel strike risk.”
The boating industry has pointed to the use of technology (radar, sonar, LIDAR, AI, etc.) to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales, which seasonally migrate up and down the East Coast.
“This is not about eliminating protections,” John DePersenaire, Viking Yachts director of government affairs and sustainability, said in a separate statement. “It is about moving forward with NOAA’s preferred way of mitigating vessel-strike risk technology. Conservation and safe vessel operation are not mutually exclusive, and the public comment process gives owners, captains and businesses a chance to explain why technology, vessel-specific risk, safety and economic impact must be part of any future approach.”
Comments must be submitted by June 2 at the Boating United site or directly through the Federal Register.
