Georgia Repugnant Wants to Stop Marine Speed Limit

Congressman named Buddy Carter from Georgia want to stop NOAA from imposing more expansive speed limits along the eastern seaboard to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales. The whales migrate up and down the coast between their birthing and feeding grounds.  Vessel collisions along with entanglement are a major cause of whale mortalities. NOAA wants vessels longer than 35 feet to slow to 10 knots when right whales are in the area.  These whales swim close to the surface making them vulnerable to collisions.  Carter maintains the new rules would impair business interests on the coast. He claims that Repugnants "care about whales too", but not at the expense of commerce, which is typical of anthropocentric, cynical capitalists.

An expert testified at a recent House subcommittee hearing that the loss of even one whale due to human causes puts the species at risk of extinction. Democratic Senators from four states asked NOAA to address right whale deaths. Many whale corpses washing ashore show signs of vessel collisions, such as deep parallel wounds caused by propeller blades. A NOAA spokesperson, said that as of March 2023, 30 whale deaths have been recorded on the Atlantic Coast since Dec. 1. They were 21 humpback whales; three sperm whales; three minke whales; two North Atlantic right whales and one sei whale. The area of the North Atlantic off Georgia is a critical habitat for right whales since they give birth there. 

The Senators told the press,“Without action, the [North Atlantic right whale] will likely go extinct. If we do not act, other whale species may face the same fate.”Carter's objection to the slow down is typical of the cynical anthropocentric, capitalist concern with profit over the life of fellow creatures. Scientists estimate that there are fewer than seventy breeding females remaining. These females are producing fewer calves, inevitably leading to the species extinction. [see chart below courtesy NOAA]