WASHINGTON— A coalition of groups filed a petition today with the National Marine Fisheries Service to establish a year-round mandatory 10-knot speed limit and other vessel-related regulations within the core habitat of the Gulf of Mexico whale, south of the Florida panhandle.
With an estimated 50 individuals remaining, the immediate adoption of these measures is critical to the whales’ survival.
Fisheries Service scientists published a paper in January recognizing the Gulf of Mexico whale as a unique species. In the wake of that paper, some scientists have begun dubbing it “America’s whale” since it is the only great whale known to live entirely off the U.S. coast. The species’ small population and the threats it faces in the industrialized waters of the Gulf of Mexico make it one of the most endangered species of whales on earth.
“One of the rarest, most endangered whales on the planet is in our backyard, and we have a responsibility to save it,” said Michael Jasny, director of NRDC’s Marine Mammal Protection Project. “Slowing down ships in the whales’ habitat is more than common sense. It’s basic human decency. It’s what we should do for a neighbor.”
The species is experiencing more injury and death from vessel strikes than it can currently withstand, with at least one whale known to have died and others showing signs of injury. The whales spend much of their lives within the draft depths of most commercial vessels, particularly at night when they are resting just beneath the surface. This makes them extremely vulnerable to deadly collisions with fast-moving ships.
The mandatory slowdown would also reduce vessel noise in the whales’ core habitat. Vessel noise is known to disrupt vital behaviors such as feeding and breeding and to chronically stress whales, which can impair their health and reduce their ability to reproduce.
“Protecting the whale and restoring its population will mean creating a cleaner, healthier and quieter Gulf of Mexico,” said Healthy Gulf coastal organizer Christian Wagley. “The tremendous amount of interest in the whale already says that the public wants to protect this magnificent animal and the Gulf ecosystem that supports it. If we can save the species, that brings hope that we can ultimately save the Gulf.”
The petition cites the Fisheries Service obligation under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act to protect the species from these threats. Federal officials have previously mandated vessel slowdowns to protect the North Atlantic right whale, finding that speed limits of 10 knots would significantly reduce the likelihood of lethal strikes.
“Speed limits save endangered whales from deadly ship strikes. They’ve helped save whales on the East Coast, and they’ll help save the Gulf of Mexico whale from extinction,” said Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Simply slowing down through whale habitat will give this great American whale a fighting chance.”
In addition to a 10-knot speed limit, the petition recommends requiring vessels to avoid transit through the core habitat at night, when whales are resting near the surface; to maintain a minimum distance of about 550 yards (500 meters) from observed whales; and to monitor the water around the vessel when traveling through the speed zone. Similar measures were set forth last year by the Fisheries Service, for oil and gas industry vessels operating in the species’ core habitat off Florida and Alabama, as necessary to avoid jeopardizing the continued survival of the species. The Fisheries Service has not yet adopted measures for any other classes of vessel.
“As the most endangered whale in the world, the loss of this species would be a tragedy and is a conservation emergency that must be addressed urgently,” said Peter Corkeron with the New England Aquarium. “This petition is a critical first step in the long road to saving this species from preventable extinction.”
NRDC petitioned to list the whale in 2014, citing the species’ low numbers and the significant threats it faces from a number of human activities. After two lawsuits over the agency’s delays, the federal government listed the whale under the Endangered Species Act in 2019. NRDC and Healthy Gulf are presently litigating over the federal failure to designate critical habitat for the whale, as required by the Act.
“The Gulf of Mexico whale already faces an uphill battle for survival — one that becomes increasingly steeper each day that ships continue to tear through its habitat,” said Elizabeth Neville, senior Gulf Coast representative at Defenders of Wildlife. “This speed limit is a safety measure with clear benefits. We urge NOAA Fisheries to act before it’s too late.”
Other threats to the whales include oil and gas exploration and development, including from seismic blasting, which a federal report in 2016 identified as a threat likely to eliminate or seriously degrade the population. The agency estimates that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill killed roughly 17% of the population. A whale found dead along Sandy Key, in the Florida Everglades, in 2019 is believed to have died from ingestion of plastic.
“Considering all they’ve had to endure from offshore drilling, it’s a gift that these whales have survived in the Gulf of Mexico and it’s critical that we put measures in place to avoid collisions with boats, especially since the Gulf of Mexico whales typically rest just beneath the surface,” said Steve Mashuda, managing attorney for the Earthjustice Oceans Program.