The National Resources Defense Council, Healthy Gulf and four other environmental groups filed a petition May 12 with federal ocean regulators calling for reduced ship speeds in a prime Gulf of Mexico habitat for a newly discovered, critically endangered whale species. Slowing vessels to just 10k in an area of about 18,000 square miles between Louisiana and Florida will improve the little-understood Rice’s whale’s exceedingly slim chances for survival, the petitioners claimed. The Rice’s whale had been thought to be a Gulf-dwelling Bryde’s whale, a species teetering on extinction. However, in January, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists confirmed its status as a distinct species. Its population is estimated at just a few dozen, making it one of the rarest whale species in the world. (Source: NOLA.com 05/11/21) Whale zone ahead? Petition seeks slower ships in habitat of new Gulf of Mexico species | Environment | nola.com
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