Tag: whales

NOAA Fisheries is proposing changes to the North Atlantic right whale vessel speed rule to further reduce the likelihood of lethal vessel collisions. 

Canada published a bulletin to describe vessel requirements for the Protection of the Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) in the Waters of Southern British Columbia, 2022, which came into force June 01, 2022. The Interim Order applies to all vessels that are navigating in, on or through specific waters in Southern British Columbia, regardless of the method of propulsion.

The Secretariat for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation agreed to move forward with the first step in a two-step process to investigate the US’s failure to uphold its environmental laws to protect North Atlantic right whales from deadly vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglements.

The partners in an initiative to cut air pollution and protect endangered whales announced results from the 2021 “Protecting Blue Whales & Blue Skies” program. Eighteen shipping companies participated, transiting at 10 knots or less in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Southern California region.

North P&I Club informs that Transport Canada have issued a Ship Safety Bulletin regarding the protection of the North Atlantic right whale, highlighting the speed restriction measures in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Gard Club informs that the North Atlantic right whale is one of the world's most endangered species of large whale and due to the fact that its habitat and migration routes are located close to major ports, the whales are vulnerable to collisions with vessels.

To protect whales, Euronav has teamed up with the Great Whale Conservancy (GWC), an environmental NGO dedicated to the protection of great whales and their habitat, to investigate how ship strikes can be avoided.

MSC became the first major shipping line to re-route their ships on the west coast of Greece to reduce the risk of collision with endangered sperm whales in the Mediterranean.

Colliding with ships has been identified as the main threat to whales in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Oceans.

Transport Canada issued a bulletin aiming to clarify vessel requirements under the Interim Order for the Protection of the Killer Whale in the Waters of Southern British Columbia, which came into force on 1st June 2021.