Comment Period Closes on NOAA Proposal to Weaken North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Speed Protections

The public comment period for NOAA's proposed advance notice of rulemaking (ANPRM) on the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule closed on June 2, 2026. The ANPRM, published in the Federal Register on March 4, 2026, proposes replacing mandatory seasonal vessel speed restrictions — currently requiring ships 65 feet or longer to travel at or below 10 knots in identified right whale habitat zones — with technology-based avoidance systems that would permit faster vessel speeds. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Endangered Species Coalition, and multiple marine science institutions submitted strongly worded comments opposing the proposed relaxation. The NRDC characterised the proposal as 'catastrophic' for the ~380 remaining North Atlantic Right Whales, arguing that technology-based avoidance systems remain unproven in real-world conditions at sea and would not provide equivalent protection to mandatory speed restrictions. Vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglement are the two primary causes of right whale mortality. The Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy, by contrast, submitted supportive comments on June 3, endorsing the proposal as reducing regulatory burden on the shipping and fishing industries. The comment period closure marks the end of public input before NOAA determines next steps. Marine scientists note that any regulatory rollback comes at a particularly vulnerable moment: while the 2025–2026 calving season produced 23 calves — the best count in 15 years — the species' population remains critically endangered, with about 70 reproductively active females. The ANPRM follows the Trump administration's earlier backing of H.R. 8509, which would delay new rope-fishery entanglement regulations until 2035.