SSA responded to a petition by a coalition of environmental groups to create new regulatory rules to protect endangered Rice’s Whales. The environmental organizations request that NOAA limit vessel speeds to ten knots or less, prohibit nighttime transit, and implement other vessel-related mitigation measures in the whale’s core habitat of the Gulf of Mexico. In its comments, SSA highlighted how several rules proposed in the petition would harm the shrimp industry and create severe maritime safety issues and recommended strongly against their adoption.
SSA also requested NOAA carefully evaluate the scientific merits of the petition and, should it decide to move forward with rulemaking, work with the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, Shrimp Advisory Panel, and U.S. Coast Guard to evaluate the full impact of the rules.
Rice’s Whale Petition
Rice’s Whale Petition
SSA responded to a petition by a coalition of environmental groups to create new regulatory rules to protect endangered Rice’s Whales. The environmental organizations request that NOAA limit vessel speeds to ten knots or less, prohibit nighttime transit, and implement other vessel-related mitigation measures in the whale’s core habitat of the Gulf of Mexico. In its comments, SSA highlighted how several rules proposed in the petition would harm the shrimp industry and create severe maritime safety issues and recommended strongly against their adoption.
SSA also requested NOAA carefully evaluate the scientific merits of the petition and, should it decide to move forward with rulemaking, work with the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, Shrimp Advisory Panel, and U.S. Coast Guard to evaluate the full impact of the rules.