|
The ‘right’ whale
By Dan McCue
Staff Writer
The North Atlantic right whale is one of about 1,880 species listed as protected under the federal Endangered Species Act, and one of 64 species that comes directly under the jurisdiction of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service.
The species has been protected internationally since 1935.
The fisheries service estimates there are only about 300 of the whales remaining in the North Atlantic because of commercial whaling, which killed off vast numbers through the 20th century when federal and international regulations were adopted to protect them.
The whale’s name was bestowed by whalers who considered the species the “right whale” to hunt because they were easy to catch, rich in blubber and floated after being killed.
The issue of protecting the whales came to a head in the South Carolina coastal region because the marine mammals migrate to the Southeastern U.S. coast to give birth to their calves.
This region is the only known calving ground for the species and has been designated as a critical habitat for right whales.
Today, according to the fisheries service, vessel collisions and fishing gear entanglements are the greatest threat to the whales.
In June 1994, the agency designated several areas along the Eastern seaboard as critical habitats for the right whale. None of those critical habitats were along coastal South Carolina, but the agency is now considering tightening the regulations for the entire East Coast.
Among the new rules it is considering is whether to impose a 10-knots speed restriction on vessels as they approach ports of call. Col. Ed Fleming of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told the SPA board that the corps took a closer look at the Charleston Naval Base project and its potential impact to ensure consistency in creating a new regulation.
Dan McCue is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail him at dmccue@setcommedia.com.
|
E-Mail This Article
Printer-Friendly Version