According to representatives from The Billfish Foundation, a recent petition submitted by environmental organizations to NOAA / NMFS calls for drastic vessel measures in the Gulf of Mexico to safeguard the recently discovered Rice’s whale.
According to the petition, all vessels operating in the region between” 100 meters and 400 meters deep” should be subject to a” year-round, ten-knot vessel speed reduction zone.” The area would extend for an additional 10 kilometers from Pensacola, Florida( i.e., 87.5 ° W to 27.5 % N ), just south of Tampa, FL. If all of the petition’s requests are granted, there will be major disruptions to marine interstate commerce and recreational use, including pulling operations, tour vessels, recreational fishing, pleasure boating, and commercial fishing.
The designated area, known as the Core Habitat Area, which starts at State states, encompasses a large portion of the DeSoto Canyon. Additionally, the prayer requests the following:
- No ship travels at nighttime.
- When passing through the area, ships must use visual spectators, review their plans to NMFS, and keep 500 meters apart from Rice’s whales.
- Use and run an automatic recognition system, or alert NMFS to distances in the area.
- Within 24 hours, notify NMFS of any deviations from these needs.
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