200 Conservation Groups Urge Congress to Reject H.R. 8509 Right Whale Gear Delay

On May 13, 2026, the Center for Biological Diversity coordinated a letter from nearly 200 conservation organizations urging Congress to reject H.R. 8509 — legislation backed by the Trump administration that would delay mandatory ropeless gear requirements protecting North Atlantic right whales until 2035 instead of 2028. The coalition highlighted that since current protections took effect, 55 right whales have been documented dead, injured, or in poor health, with 31 confirmed victims of entanglement in vertical fishing rope lines. Signatories noted that proven on-demand (ropeless, pop-up) fishing gear technology already allows commercial fishermen to harvest seafood safely: since 2020, U.S. and Canadian fishermen using pop-up gear harvested over 1 million pounds of seafood without harming any whales. The letter urged Congress to direct financial assistance to fishermen for transitioning to ropeless gear rather than extending a moratorium that conservation groups argue preserves lethal entanglement conditions for nearly another decade. With only ~380 right whales remaining — approximately 70 of them reproductively active females — scientists warn that any multi-year regulatory delay could tip the population toward extinction.