northern right whale

NMFS extends East Coast vessel speed limits to protect right whales

NMFS called for voluntary 10-knot vessel speed limits to protect endangered northern right whales in the New York Bight during December 2020. NOAA graphic.

The National Marine Fisheries Service extended a “slow zone” voluntary vessel speed restriction zone southeast of New York Harbor on Wednesday, with escalating pressures to do more for protecting the extremely endangered northern right whales.

The speed zone notification, calling for vessels over 65 feet to maintain 10 knots or less, was already in effect when an acoustic buoy monitored by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute again detected right whales in the New York Bight, NMFS said in a...

https://www.workboat.com/news/bluewater/nmfs-extends-east-coast-vessel-speed-limits-to-protect-right-whales/

Atlantic seismic survey permits expiring; oil exploration ‘back to square one’

A seismic survey ship. International Association of Geophysical Contractors photo.

Already under intense political pressure in a presidential election year, the Trump administration’s goal of opening more offshore areas to oil drilling will take a major legal hit as permits for Atlantic exploratory seismic surveys expire Nov. 30.

In a federal court conference Oct. 1, lawyers for the federal government and offshore exploration companies acknowledged that key permits to allow seismic surveys – high intensity acoustic probes of the seafloor to detect potential oil resources –...

https://www.workboat.com/news/offshore/atlantic-seismic-survey-permits-expiring-oil-exploration-back-to-square-one/

BMT offshore wind vessel has a whale workaround

Two crew transfer boats will be built for offshore wind developer Ørsted. Ørsted rendering

Designers of crew transfer vessels (CTVs) for offshore wind energy face a number of challenges – starting with the core mission of delivering workers in speed and comfort to turbines at sea.

In the emerging U.S. offshore wind industry there’s another unique demand: working safely around migration routes of the highly endangered northern right whale.

“It’s something we’ve not come across yet in Europe as we don’t have this right whale issue,” said James Lewis, project manager for specialized ship...

https://www.workboat.com/news/offshore/bmt-offshore-wind-vessel-has-a-whale-workaround/

Whale sightings, and ship strike danger, surge off New York

A humpback whale near New York Harbor. Photo by Celia Ackerman/Gotham Whale

Humpback whales are seen much more often around the approaches to New York Harbor, and with them come the potential for more deadly encounters with vessels, according to a new study.

“Whales feed in close proximity to the entrance of the Port of New York and New Jersey, creating potentially dangerous situations for both vessels and whales. Documenting humpback whale presence and identifying the risks are crucial for both short- and long-term management,” wrote researchers at George Mason...

https://www.workboat.com/news/coastal-inland-waterways/whale-sightings-and-ship-strike-danger-surge-off-new-york/

Equinor to support New York Bight whales monitoring

A humpback whale breaching. NOAA photo

Offshore wind power developer Equinor Wind US is entering a joint project with conservationists and scientists to deploy two new acoustic buoys to expand detection and monitoring of whales in the New York Bight.

To be operated with the Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts, the buoys will provide near real-time monitoring of species including sei, fin and humpback whales, and the extremely endangered North Atlantic...

https://www.workboat.com/news/offshore/equinor-to-support-new-york-bight-whales-monitoring/