Environmental groups in the United States and Canada are sounding the alarm about a U.S. government proposal to change a federal regulation introduced in 2008 to protect a critically endangered species of whale.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Wednesday it plans to introduce business-friendly changes to rules that require large ships to slow down in certain areas to avoid collisions with North Atlantic right whales.

The population of these massive mammals is less than 400, though their numbers have been slowly increasing since 2020. They migrate every year from calving grounds off Florida and Georgia to feeding grounds that extend to the Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

In the U.S., the National Marine Manufacturers Association has described the speed restrictions as “archaic,” saying it would prefer using new technology to avoid the whales.

NOAA administrator Neil Jacobs issued a statement Wednesday saying the federal agency wants to “allow maritime commerce to coexist with endangered species.”

“This action is an important step in implementing (President Donald Trump’s) vision of adopting modern technologies, supporting American industry and promoting efficient and effective regulations,” Jacobs said.

Meanwhile, the federal agency says it is seeking public input on changes aimed at reducing what it calls unnecessary regulatory and economic burdens while ensuring conservation practices.

The existing regulations require most vessels 20 metres or longer to travel at 10 knots or less in certain management areas along the U.S. East Coast at certain times of the year.

Canada also has mandatory and voluntary speed restrictions for larger vessels, mainly in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where compliance remains high.

In the United States, several American environmental groups have criticized NOAA’s proposal. Jane Davenport, senior attorney at conservation group Defenders of Wildlife, said the United States needs more right whale protections, not fewer.

Sean Brillant, marine program co-ordinator with the Canadian Wildlife Federation, said the U.S. speed limits should be maintained because they are particularly effective at preventing collisions involving smaller, more manoeuvrable vessels.

“And they do a little bit of good for the big vessels, but not as much good as people might think,” he said in an interview Thursday. “It doesn’t solve the problem.”

Still, he said speed restrictions remain the best tool available to prevent ship strikes. “It’s the only card in our deck right now.”

As for new technologies mentioned by NOAA, Brillant said whale detection devices remain in the development stages. “Everybody seems to be hanging their hat on early detection,” he said. “The ability of large vessels to take evasive action using early detection of whales has never been proven.”

Moira Brown, science director at the Canadian Whale Institute in Welshpool, N.B., said raising or ending the U.S. speed limit would destroy 40 years of work aimed at lowering whale deaths caused by ship strikes.

“Researchers, the shipping industry and government regulators have worked really hard to come up with measures to give these whales a chance,” Brown said in an interview Thursday.

“If this is done, it will turn back years of meetings, negotiations, discussions of what can be done to reduce the impact of vessel strikes on North Atlantic right whales.”

Still, she agreed that the speed limit is not a perfect solution, noting there have been about two dozen right whales killed or badly injured by ship strikes since 2017. As well, she said it’s important to note that many of the larger shipping companies have come forward to support the speed restrictions in both countries.

“(They) are willing to make a little more room for right whales by just adjusting their operational procedures in a pretty small area,” she said. “Right whales need all the help they can get.”

Brown also challenged the suggestion that whale-detection technology could reduce the need for speed limits, saying these new infrared camera systems are still in the experimental stage.

— With files from The Associated Press.

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