This coverage is made possible through a partnership with Grist and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR station.
Federal regulators are abandoning a proposal to expand ocean speed limits that were designed to protect North Atlantic right whales.
The whales, which give birth off Georgia’s coast in the winter, are nearing extinction: Just 370 remain, and vessel strikes are one of their leading causes of death.
Marine industry groups applauded the move to abandon a rule they have criticized as overly broad, while whale advocates said they were disappointed.
“The whales are going to suffer because of the inaction by the Biden administration,” said Gib Brogan, campaign director with the advocacy group Oceana.
There are already some seasonal speed limits on large ships designed to cut down the risk of strikes during times of year when the whales are known to be in certain areas — like off the Georgia coast during the winter calving season.
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