The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is considering possible deregulatory action to modify and modernize the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule. The goal of this initiative is to reduce unnecessary regulatory and economic burdens on the regulated community by replacing current seasonal speed restrictions with alternative management areas and advanced, technology-based, strike-avoidance measures that maintain or enhance conservation efficacy for the endangered North Atlantic right whale.
The current rule, adopted in 2008, requires most vessels 65 feet or greater in length to operate at 10 knots or less in designated Seasonal Management Areas (SMAs) during periods when right whales are most likely to be present. NOAA also administers a voluntary Dynamic Management Area (DMA) or “Slow Zone” program to address whale aggregations detected outside the seasonal zones.
In its notice, the NMFS is considering a “deregulatory modernization” of the existing rule. The agency is exploring whether seasonal speed restrictions could be modified or replaced with alternative management areas and technology-based strike avoidance tools that would reduce collision risk while minimizing unnecessary regulatory and economic burdens on vessel operators.
As part of this review, NOAA is seeking information and public comment on several topics, including:
- The effectiveness and readiness of technologies designed to reduce vessel strikes with whales
- Differences in strike risk among vessel size classes
- The potential use of dynamic or detection-based management areas in place of static seasonal zones
- Possible improvements to the rule’s safety deviation provisions
- The overall effectiveness and compliance levels associated with the current speed rule
- The economic impacts of the rule on vessel operators and coastal industries, including impacts on small businesses
NOAA notes that the North Atlantic right whale population remains critically small, with recent estimates indicating approximately 380 individuals, including roughly 70 reproductively active females.
In 2025, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) withdrew a proposed regulation that would have imposed a 10-knot vessel speed limit on wide swaths of the Atlantic Ocean to protect endangered right whales from possible vessel strikes. In 2022, PVA submitted comments opposing this extreme proposal.
The public comment period for the ANPRM is open through June 2, 2026. Additional information about the ANPRM and the current vessel speed rule can be found on the NOAA Fisheries website.