John,

North Atlantic right whales are one of the world's most endangered whale species. More than 140 of them have been killed or injured since 2017 — and now just 360 cling to survival. Without swift action to protect these magnificent whales, they could be functionally extinct in just 11 years.

Deadly strikes by ships and other vessels are a leading cause of the right whale’s decline. In the past 3.5 years, collisions with vessels in U.S. waters have killed or wounded at least seven North Atlantic right whales. Mothers and their calves are especially at risk of being hit because they spend a lot of time near the ocean's surface.

It's time to slow down vessels in right whale habitat.

In 2022 NOAA Fisheries proposed crucial updates to an existing speed rule that would better protect the whales from tragic collisions. Now the agency has sent its updates to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality so the states can issue a “consistency determination” that says whether the rule fits with their coastal management plans.

We need your help to get the updated speed rule in place before more North Atlantic right whales suffer and die.

Urge state agencies to support right whale conservation by making a determination that the rule is consistent with their plans as soon as possible.