Chip Chick
Portland, Maine. The North Atlantic and North Pacific right whales are now among the most endangered species on this planet, and the Endangered Species Act protects both species in the United States.
Right whales are enormous whales that can weigh more than 88,000 pounds. Right whales have a docile temperament and have a tendency to stay close to the coast.
Just a few years ago, the right whale population was closer to 450. But due to global warming and disastrous collisions with huge ships, it has now put them at risk.
The lobster fishing business in the United States will be subjected to a string of new harvesting limitations as part of a new government initiative to conserve the critically endangered whale species.
These new laws have been in discussion for the past few years, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently revealed the finalized ones in a press release dated August 31st.
North Atlantic right whales, of which only about 360 still exist, are threatened by deadly entanglement in fishing gear.
The new rules by NOAA Fisheries were introduced for lobster and Jonah crab trap and pot fisheries in the Northeast United States.
The North Atlantic right whale population is highly endangered and diminishing, and NOAA Fisheries and partners are committed to conserving and rebuilding it.
The reduction which began in 2010, has escalated significantly in 2017, when 17 deaths were reported.
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