Celebrating World Oceans Day By Working to Save a Species

SEA LIFE joins WDC to help save the North Atlantic right whale

Sea Life Aquariums across the US are joining WDC in our promotion of the Act Right Now campaign to protect the North Atlantic right whale. The Act Right Now campaign is designed to educate the masses and grow public support for stronger and more permanent regulations to ensure that right whales have the best chance to survive the threats they face.

With approximately 500 individuals remaining, the North Atlantic right whale is on the brink of extinction with vessel strikes, fishing gear entanglements and a lack of adequate habitat protection continuing to threaten their existence. Currently, seventy-two percent of their known mortality is attributed to human causes.

Sea Life is joining WDC to collect more than one hundred thousand signatures on a public petition that asks NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service to extend an existing 10-knot speed limit on the Atlantic coast beyond its December 2013 expiration date and to expand the areas and times when ship speed limits apply to avoid collisions that kill endangered whales.

“With 50,000 signatures so far, we are well on our way to prove that protecting the North Atlantic right whale is a priority for many” Emily Moss, WDC Act Right Now Campaign Lead. “With the support of SEA LIFE we will have the opportunity to reach their guests and really quantify the importance of this campaign with the signatures collected at the SEA LIFE locations.”

Sea Life is joining the fight by educating their guests and asking interested parties to add their name to the list of individuals voicing their support of WDC’s petition to NOAA.

“Sea Life is proud to support the Act Right Now campaign to help protect this incredible species,” said Chris Andrews, senior curator for SEA LIFE North America. “Our guests are passionate about the ocean and its inhabitants and we have no doubt they will join us in this fight so the right whale is here for future generations.”

An article released by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA in April 2013 states that: “we (NOAA) estimated that vessel speed restrictions reduced total ship strike mortality risk levels by 80–90% with levels that were closer to 90% in the latter two of the four active vessel speed restriction periods studied.” At this juncture increased public support to keep the ten knot speed rule in place will help persuade the Obama Administration to do what is right by expanding and continuing the legislature that protects this fragile species.
Find out what actions you can take to ensure the survival of this fragile species at www.whales.org and sign the petition at actrightnow.whales.org.