MSIB 14-21 SPEED RESTRICTION IMPOSED TO PROTECT NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES

The Captain of the Port, Delaware Bay advises all vessels transiting the Mid-Atlantic Ocean that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has establised regulations which implement a 10-knot speed restriction for all vessels 65 ft (19.8 m) or greater specified locations (called Seasonal Management Areas or SMAs) during certain times fo the year along the east coast of the U.S. Atlantic Seaboard. These regulations are designed to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales by reducing the likelihood of collisions between ships and whales.

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