NOAA Fisheries has proposed changes to speed restrictions along the East Coast in an effort to reduce the chance of lethal vessel collisions with the North Atlantic Right Whale.

 

These new restrictions would “expand mandatory speed restrictions of 10-knots or less to include most vessels 35-65 feet in length” which the National Marine Fisheries Service estimates will affect approximately 15,899 vessels from Maine to Florida. These restrictions would result in an additional 121,061 transit hours with the commercial shipping sector  bearing the largest proportion of costs from the changes with an estimated cost to the maritime community of $46,216,122.