US Block Speed Limits to Protect Whales

A government plan for ship speed limits to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales is being held up by White House officials due to opposition by foreign shipping interests, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, PEER, a national organization of workers in natural resource agencies.

In an unusual move, the White House Council of Economic Advisors is now reviewing the causes of right whale deaths, a task already done by marine experts, who have all concluded that ship strikes and entanglement with fishing gear are the principal causes of right whale mortality.

Last year, there were six known right whale deaths