Fears for Endangered Right Whales Grow as Moratorium Clears Key Hurdle

A government committee in Washington voted on July 15 to push back new rules for protecting North Atlantic right whales until 2035. The House Natural Resources Committee supported the delay after heavy lobbying from the fishing and lobster industries. Environmental groups are alarmed because only about 380 of these whales remain on Earth. Scientists warn that without stronger rules, the species could disappear forever.

North Atlantic right whales were once common along the East Coast of the United States. Commercial whalers hunted them nearly to extinction over many decades. Today, the biggest dangers they face are getting tangled in fishing ropes, being struck by large ships, and the warming of the ocean due to climate change. Each of these threats makes it harder for the small whale population to grow.

The federal government had already paused new right whale protections until 2028. The July 15 committee vote would extend that pause all the way to 2035. A full vote in Congress is expected this summer and is widely predicted to pass. The Trump administration has expressed support for the legislation.

The bill was introduced by Representative Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine, and Republican Representative Mike Lawler of New York. Golden says the pause will give scientists more time to study the best ways to protect whales. 'Mainers are not asking for much. We just need more time,' he said. Maine is home to a major lobster industry that strongly opposes new fishing regulations.

Lobster and crab industries in New England states like Maine and Massachusetts argue that tougher rules could cost workers their jobs and hurt local economies. They say they already practice some of the best conservation methods in the world. Beth Casoni of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association said the current protections for right whales will not be removed. She stated that the legislation does not weaken any existing rules.

Conservation groups say the delays are dangerous and have already cost whale lives. The right whale population dropped by about 25 percent between 2010 and 2020. Numbers have recovered slightly since then, but they are still well below the roughly 480 whales counted in 2010. Experts say that with so few animals left, every single death matters. Gib Brogan of the ocean group Oceana said lawmakers have ignored strong scientific evidence, adding, 'Now, once again, lawmakers are trying to pass the buck.'