WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity, along with nearly 200 conservation organizations, urged Congress today to reject a bill that would delay stronger protections for critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from deadly fishing gear entanglements for seven more years.

H.R. 8509, introduced by Rep. Jared Golden, would extend the unprecedented 2023 extinction rider, allowing NOAA Fisheries to delay additional protections for the whales until the end of 2035 instead of 2028. This comes despite repeated court rulings finding the agency failed to adequately protect right whales under federal law.

“Congress will be sanctioning extinction if they again delay desperately needed protections for these right whales,” said Rachel Rilee, oceans policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Too many right whales have died tangled in gear since this extinction rider has been in place. If they have to wait another seven years for the protections they deserve, future generations might not get the chance to witness the splendor of these whales ever again.”

Fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales remain, including only about 70 breeding females. Since the current rider took effect, 55 right whales have been documented dead, injured or in poor health. That includes 31 whales who were confirmed entangled in fishing gear.

Today’s letter also calls on Congress to “provide lobster fishermen in federal waters the necessary support to fully incentivize adoption of on-demand fishing gear over the next five to seven years with input and collaboration from the fishing community and states.”

The letter emphasizes that workable solutions already exist. Since 2020, fishermen in the United States and Canada have safely harvested more than 1 million pounds of seafood using on-demand, or “pop-up,” fishing gear designed to eliminate persistent vertical lines in the water and protect whales from painful, deadly entanglements.