Slowdown off Virginia coast aimed at saving whales
Posted to: Environment News
Whalers considered them the "right" whales because it was the species they most often sought. (File photo)
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THE NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE
Status Endangered. Only about 350 are left; it's the rarest whale species in the world.
Size 35-55 feet long
Color Black, except white spot on belly
Physical description Jaws are highly curved, giving the appearance of a frown; they are often covered by hard skin patches on faces; there's no dorsal fin on their backs.
Natural history Slow swimmers, they can dive to 1,000 feet and stay submerged for 40 minutes.
In Virginia They are typically seen in winter and early spring.
Name origin Whalers considered them the "right" whales because it was the species they most often sought; they were hunted for centuries for oil and blubber.
SOURCE: American Cetacean Society
By Scott Harper
The Virginian-Pilot
© January 7, 2011
Hoping to better protect a rare whale species, the U.S. government has started enforcing speed limits for large ships coming to Atlantic ports, and the first batch of tickets includes a handful of violations off the Virginia coast.
Six vessels, all owned by foreign companies, have been cited for exceeding the new 10-knot speed limit aimed at preserving the North Atlantic right whale. Only about 350 such whales are believed to exist today.
Slow-moving, black and odd-looking, the gentle giants are especially susceptible to ship strikes, which often kill them, mostly because the whales cruise near shore and crisscross navigational channels, scientists say.
Right whales are classified as endangered species and migrate up and down the Atlantic coast, usually in small numbers or with their babies.
The speeding tickets call on ship owners to pay a combined $230,500 in civil penalties, with fines ranging from $16,000 to $44,000 per company.
Of the 42 alleged violations since last year, eight involve vessels steaming toward the port of Hampton Roads, according to copies obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
The highest number of violations, 19, occurred off Charleston, S.C.; followed by 10 near Savannah, Ga.; eight off Norfolk; and five off New York.
"The species' recovery is dependent upon the protection of each remaining whale," Stuart Cory, special agent for law enforcement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said in a statement.
NOAA is the lead agency overseeing the new speed limits, which apply to commercial ships over 65 feet long and traveling within 20 nautical miles of a port - typically, cruise ships and cargo carriers.
Navy and Coast Guard vessels are exempt from the new rule, though both services have said they intend to take other precautionary measures to guard against striking right whales.
Local maritime leaders opposed the limits when they were being debated, arguing that ship companies will suffer undue costs in exchange for scant protection of a species rarely seen off the Virginia coast.
"It's definitely having an economic impact. How much, I can't really say," said Billy Counselman, vice president of the Virginia Pilot Association, whose members guide ocean going ships through the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and to shore.
Still, Counselman said, ship captains and maritime companies have come to accept the new limits as rules that must be abided by, similar to motorists slowing down in school zones.
"The 10-knot rule is hard on industry, but they're only in the speed zone for a short while," he said. "It's our job to make them aware they need to slow down."
Before the speed limits took effect last year, faster vessels generally traveled at 18 to 22 knots as they approached the Bay, maritime officials say, while bigger cargo ships and coal-carrying behemoths typically arrived at about 14 to 15 knots.
By slowing down to 10 knots, ships can be delayed between 31 minutes and 100 minutes, according to estimates compiled by the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Arthur Moye, executive vice president of the Virginia Maritime Association, a Norfolk-based port advocacy group, said the new limits are not causing serious disruptions, noting that some ships have started to "slow-steam" anyway to save fuel and reduce air-pollution emissions.
"It can mess up scheduling and delivery times," said David White, vice president of the association, "but we're not hearing a lot of complaints."
Of the six vessels ticketed so far, four were cited off the Virginia coast.
Two of them - the Irenes Reliance, a Greek-owned ship; and the Hanjin Chittagong, a Japanese-owned vessel - were hit with three violations each while traveling in and around the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, according to the tickets.
The owner of the NYK Meteor, Kitaura Kaiun, based in Japan, already has paid its $16,500 fine, effectively closing the case, said Lesli Bales-Sherrod, a NOAA spokeswoman.
No other company has settled its alleged violations, she said this week, and none has petitioned the government to challenge its ticket. The owners have 30 days to pay or request an administrative hearing.
In the mid-Atlantic, from Rhode Island to Georgia, the speed limits are in effect from Nov. 1 to April 30. This is the time, scientists say, when right whales are most active in Virginia and North Carolina waters.
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