Image
Defenders: Latest Right Whale Population Estimate Shows More to be Done
The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium via NOAA Fisheries today updated the estimated population of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. The new estimate is
Image
Right Whale Vessel Strike Protections Sought by Nov. 1
Conservation groups this week asked a federal judge to set a Nov. 1 deadline for long-delayed federal action to finalize expanded vessel strike protections for
Image
Defenders: Bill Would Push Critically Endangered Right Whales to Brink of Extinction
On Thursday, the Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee of the House Committee on Natural Resources is considering H.R. 8704, a bill that would push the
More North Atlantic Right Whale Press Releases
Image
Trump Orders Cuts in Regulations that ‘Inhibit Economic Recovery'
President Trump signed an executive order on May 19, directing agencies to identify deregulatory actions to spur economic growth. The order directs agency administrators to
Image
New York Offshore Wind Alliance: Public Service Commission Gives NY An Earth Week to Celebrate
New York Offshore Wind Alliance: Public Service Commission Gives NY An Earth Week to Celebrate Authorizes NYSERDA To Solicit Nation’s Largest Offshore Wind Bids Following
Image
Court: Feds Failing to Protect North Atlantic Right Whales From Lobster Gear Entanglements
A federal judge ruled yesterday that the National Marine Fisheries Service’s authorization and management of the American lobster fishery violates the federal Endangered Species Act. The court held that the agency failed to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales and that its biological opinion on the fishery violated “straightforward” requirements of the Act, putting the whales at greater risk of entanglement.
Image
NOAA: Independent Review Shows Tool Used to Prevent Right Whale Entanglements Is “Appropriate, Valuable”
Today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that an independent peer review of its “decision support tool”—developed to evaluate the effectiveness of various management measures in reducing entanglement-related mortalities of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales in the American lobster fishery—confirmed that it is an “appropriate and valuable tool to assess various mitigation measures in a common risk-reduction metric, and has proven useful in determining possible management actions with stakeholders.”
Image
Days-Old North Atlantic Right Whale Calf Struck by Ship
The fourth North Atlantic right whale calf born this season has already been severely wounded. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced Thursday morning that the calf had two “parallel and s-shaped” injuries along its body, consistent with wounds caused by boat propellers.
jcovey@defenders.org
