Hundreds of boats were speeding in mandatory and voluntary slow zones off Virginia Beach in the weeks leading up to the discovery that a North Atlantic right whale had been struck and killed by a passing vessel.
That's according to a new report from Oceana, an organization that works to protect right whales and monitors the health of oceans.
On Feb. 13, the 43-foot male right whale was found dead in the Baylake Beach area. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a report, saying the animal had been struck by a boat. A necropsy found the cause of death to be blunt force trauma, which indicates the whale was hit by a passing vessel.
Oceana said it used its Ship Speed Watch tool to monitor ship speeds in slow zones that are established by the NOAA.
The organization said it found more than 200 boats larger than 65 feet traveled through the zones at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, and nearly 7 out of 10 boats were going above the speed limit in the mandatory or voluntary slow zones. One boat traveled more than double the speed limit.
Oceana also said it found more than 106 boats, more than half of the 200, were speeding in the mandatory slow zones. In the days leading up to the discovery of the dead right whale, more than 75% of boats did not obey the mandatory or voluntary speed limits.
“Speeding boats and slow swimming whales are a recipe for disaster, but a preventable one. Current vessel speed limits are ineffective and made worse by the fact that they aren’t even properly enforced. NOAA knows this and has a pending new regulation that would update the slow zones established to protect the North Atlantic right whale. NOAA must immediately issue the final vessel speed measures before more whales needlessly die. These speed limits also need robust enforcement and accountability for those breaking the law. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and National Marine Fisheries Services Assistant Administrator Janet Coit are responsible for upholding the law and protecting endangered species – right now they are failing at both,” said Gib Brogan, campaign director at Oceana.
Experts said the North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered of its species with fewer than 350 left in the world.
“I wish we could say that the death of this North Atlantic right whale was a rarity and a fluke, but we predicted this would happen and it did – on NOAA’s watch,” Brogan continued. “Oceana sounded the alarm for months, calling on NOAA to protect these critically endangered whales from boat strikes as they traversed the East Coast during calving season. It is beyond frustrating and sad that any North Atlantic right whale had to die because of government inaction. Meanwhile, we continue to wait for our government to finalize its own proposal at a pace that feels like watching paint dry.”
Oceana organizers said studies have found "slowing boats to 10 knots reduces a North Atlantic right whale’s risk of death by boat collision by 80% to 90%."
