Urgent Action Needed -Speed Restriction

[Lido-Gambler]

Hello NJ Fishing Family and anyone who will be affected by this right whale speed restriction.

NOAA has proposed that the new right whale speed restriction would encompass commercial passenger vessels to include boats from 35ft and up.

Proposal, from what I understand: Any commercial boat 35ft and above would not be allowed to travel anywhere along the East coast out to 100 miles at more than 10 knots, from Nov 1st through May 15th.

Very arbitrary reasoning. We are dealing with a young woman with a PhD who wants to save the whales but does not care if ocean-going vessels go into oblivion.

I am aware that one of the comments asked, why not 5 knots? or maybe we should stop all boats from traversing the area completely during that time period.

We do not want to make any concessions here. What NOAA currently has in-place is bad enough.

I urge you to pass this information on to your crew, bait suppliers, fuel suppliers and customers, because they will all be affected. Tell them that they do not need to be lengthy in response. Just 2 or 3 sentences on why they are against it.

How to comment:

Deadline (extended): October 31, 2022

Go to www.regulations.gov

In search box, type NOAA-NMFS-2022-0022

Click on documents tab

Scroll to bottom, click on "Comments" box

Again, please don't respond to this group text. Text individually so that everyone's phone is not pinging off the hook.

Some of these people just want us off "Their Ocean". Thanks for taking a short time out of your day.

Capt Bob
The Crew

The Gambler

[Ol Pedro]

Done, I guess that a whales life is more important than the Eastern Seaboards economy. Putting restrictions on the Navy's acoustics and weapons testing would make more sence. Voodoo science at it's best. I can't trust anything that comes from now noaa except research dudes posts. It's easy to make decisions when they don't effect you. Special Interest trikes again.

[Gumada]

Done,

I guess seismic soundings for windmills and plowing the ocean bottom for transmission cables has no effect on whales and other sea life. Not to mention the construction of the windmills itself. Everything is upside down these days.

[Bluefish]

I have a question, ive asked it before but no response;
how many boats have had whale hits between sady hook to rockaway jetty and cape may to montauk point? seems to me that any such accidents would be all over the news media.

[Ol Pedro]

I have a question, ive asked it before but no response;
how many boats have had whale hits between sady hook to rockaway jetty and cape may to montauk point? seems to me that any such accidents would be all over the news media.

12 lethal hits on right whales since 2008 according to NOAA. That's less than 1 a year.

[Dclark2]

Put a couple questions up but - YCFS

[Bluefish]

of the handful of hits were any from fishing or pleasure boats? this is a bad case of the tail wagging the dog.

[reelfitter]

I submitted a response stating that I wasn't in favor of this proposed speed restriction. Unfortunately, I have my suspicions the decision has already been made. I hope I'm wrong.

[Gumada]

of the handful of hits were any from fishing or pleasure boats? this is a bad case of the tail wagging the dog.

If it were a recreational boat (35’ and up) that struck a whale would it be fatal to the whale ? Maybe a calf, but certainly not an adult I would think. I don’t remember ever hearing of a small craft hitting a whale, I do remember some stories of whales leaping into boats....

This new consideration does not state commercial vessels...it states it would extend to MOST vessels.

[Capt. Debbie]

I'm not sure exactly as to the interpretation of commercial vessels 35' and up within 100 miles restricted to 10 knots.

That would include all commercial shipping e.g. container ships, car carriers, cruise ships, etc. all being restricted to 10 knots... I THINK NOT

[shresearchdude]

I'm not against anyone that's trying to make a living. The proposed closures won't be year-round. Only when a Right Whale is spotted or heard.

"The proposed vessel speed changes would incorporate additional vessels 35 to 65 feet in length and broaden the spatial boundaries and timing of the seasonal speed restriction areas along the East Coast of the United States. Vessels less than 65 feet in length account for five of the 12 documented lethal strike events in U.S. waters since the first speed rule went into effect in 2008, demonstrating the significant risk this vessel size class presents and the need to extend the speed restrictions to include smaller vessels."
https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/noaa-proposes-new-vessel-speed-regulations-to-protect-north-atlantic-right-whales

THIS IS THE LINK TO THE MOST DETAILED DOCUMENT.
There's a ton of information and links to included research and studies that are sourced. This is not just the opinion of "one woman" that is driving this. . These are facts and published studies that go into the creation of such a proposed regulation.
https://www.regulations.gov/document/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0022-0005
NOAA-NMFS-2022-0022-0005

If you have the time to scroll down there's slides and meeting minutes included.
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/marine-mammal-protection/atlantic-large-whale-take-reduction-team

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/north-atlantic-right-whale

there's big lobster trap restrictions either proposed or in place to attempt to reduce entanglements.
https://www.mainepublic.org/business-and-economy/2021-08-31/new-federal-lobster-rules-call-for-seasonal-closures-off-maine-weak-rope-to-help-protect-right-whales


Canada needs to do their part also. And they are.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-right-whale-sightings-prompt-temporary-closing-of-east-coast-fishing/#:~:text=East%20Coast%20fishermen%20were%20scrambl ing%20to%20move%20their,spotted%20swimming%20in%20 the%20waters%20during%20aircraft%20surveillance.


https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/commercial-commerciale/atl-arc/narw-bnan/2022/right-whale-baleine-noires-0504-eng.html
https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/commercial-commerciale/atl-arc/narw-bnan/index-eng.html

[duranautic al]

What research??…12 whales getting hit by an ocean going vessel over how many years??!!…keep drinking that koolade,…hope you and the rest of your research team drown in it…God only knows how many families will be destitute over this restriction…sleep well tonight

[togzilla]

" I'm not against anyone that's trying to make a living. The proposed closures won't be year-round. Only when a Right Whale is spotted or heard"

Are you effin kidding me??????? The proposed regulations start off from Nov.1st to April 30th. The proposed regulations for fluke, flounder, stripers, seabass, tautog, weakfish, whiting, cod, tuna, etc. etc. all started with proposed regulations that seemed reasonable and now look where we are with most of those fisheries! Can we all just be honest with each other and just admit that this is simply a way for the liberal tree hugging globalists to use an excuse of "saving the right whale" to get rid of the recreational fisherman off of the Atlantic waters? This restriction will start for a designated area and time and then eventually end in a year round speed limit which will slowly kill the whole industry. When will people wake up and realize all of our liberties and rights are being taken away from us one cut at a time and being done for some elusive greater good for society. Put a frog in a pot of water and he'll do just fine until you turn up the heat. He will still stay in the pot until eventually he just dies from being boiled. Welcome to the Democratic Globalist Socialist party taking over America. Wake up people and vote for change!

[hammer4reel]

Why is it that in every artical the numbers change .
Both from how many whales were actually hit , how many actually died .
How many whales there are left in existence .

When numbers vary to the extent they are in these published articals from the same agency . You can only assume the research isn’t entirely accurate .

.

.

[TomKaye]

My head is spinning with all of the data I've tried to digest.
I did contact NOAA to voice my opposition as a recreational guy.

There was one 61 page document I downloaded and skim read, and I recall a number of a $24 million negative impact
to vessels affected by this proposal.
Did I read that right ??!!! WTH are they smoking ??
I don't recall if that included potential loss to support businesses servicing
marine trades and recreational fishermen.

I've written to Booker and Menendez to take a look at this.
Expect I will get their usual form letter response.
I am firmly convinced that these tree-hugging and whale hugging "scientists"
as well as our politicians have developed the stance :
"“If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with BS.”

12 right whale fatalities reported in how many years ??
Typical Gov't agency over-reaction. Or is it job preservation ? C'mon Man !!

[Gumada]

There was a right whale calf hit TWICE, weeks apart, found dead off the coast of NJ back in June of 2020. This new restriction would not have protected that whale as in June the restrictions are not in effect. I read through most of the report and found nothing to indicate what size or prop configuration was on the involved vessel. You would think that would be possible to determine with the pattern left on the carcass. The necropsy included no pictures only statements.

I have some suspicions around the double hit and the discovery of the carcass.....but that’s just me.

[AndyS]

Who's job is it to find dead whales ?

[NJ219bands]

I found a dead turtle in the Manasquan surf.