Environment America delivers 22,000 petitions urging NOAA to save right whales

Oceans

Jake Taber

With fewer than 400 individuals left, scientists warn that North Atlantic right whales can’t afford more than one death per year without risking extinction. But in just the past four years, we’ve lost a staggering 34 whales, almost all to boat strikes and entanglement with fishing lines.
 
So after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a draft rule for right whale protection that didn’t go far enough, Environment America — with our partners at Environmental Action — delivered more than 22,000 public comments from our supporters, along with the signatures of faculty at universities across the country.
 
“I am heartened by the outpouring of support — from residents of Maine to residents of Minnesota and California — for saving this special species,” said Environment America Oceans Associate Michaela Morris. “We now must transform this passion into concrete policy to save our right whales.” 
 
Four of our advocates testified at public hearings, and Michaela helped coordinate the broader Right Whale Coalition’s petition gathering, which generated nearly 180,000 signatures.
 
Read more.

Photo: A day before we delivered our public comments, researchers found Cottontail — an 11-year-old male — washed ashore dead on a South Carolina beach.

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