Dear NRDC Activist,

There are only about 360 North Atlantic right whales remaining in our oceans today. This majestic species is careening toward extinction in large part because of collisions with vessels and fishing gear entanglements, and we are quickly running out of time to save them.

President Biden's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has the authority and responsibility to protect right whales before it's too late. But the latest plan they inherited from the Trump administration doesn't just fall short — it would be a death sentence for this critically endangered species.

NOAA is inviting the public to comment on its deeply inadequate protection plan — but only until March 1. So we need as many people as possible to raise their voices now in defense of North Atlantic right whales.

Submit your public comment to NOAA now and help us overwhelm them with letters calling for stronger protections that stand a chance of saving this majestic species.

Since 2011, fishing gear entanglements and vessel collisions have killed or seriously injured about 218 North Atlantic right whales — that's roughly 24 whales per year.

Here's why that matters so much: With so few right whales left, the death or serious injury of less than one North Atlantic right whale a year is unsustainable if the species is to recover.

NOAA should take forceful and immediate action to prevent fishing gear entanglements, which are the leading cause of death for right whales. Instead, they are proposing measures that are so weak they stand no chance of curbing the species' precipitous decline.

The good news is we know how to fix this. Join me in calling on NOAA to immediately take action to save North Atlantic right whales by:

• Factoring in significant new scientific information that shows right whales are declining more rapidly than previously thought and need even stronger protections
• Strengthening its proposed plan so that it reduces the risk of serious injury and mortality of North Atlantic right whales to a level that will allow the species to recover
• Using its authority to implement emergency measures to immediately protect right whales from dangerous entanglements, such as fishing closures in certain areas where the risk of entanglement is high
• Ramping up its efforts to test and expand the use of ropeless fishing gear, which virtually eliminates the risk of entanglement and enables fishermen to safely fish alongside North Atlantic right whales

NRDC has been working for years to protect North Atlantic right whales from extinction and there is no time to waste.

Stand up and speak out now by submitting a public comment before the March 1 deadline.

Thank you for all you do!

Sincerely,

Francine Kershaw
Staff Scientist, Oceans Division, NRDC