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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by Bluefish

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