PRESS RELEASE
New England Aquarium’s Dr. Jessica Redfern to testify against bill that would block protections for critically endangered North Atlantic right whales
Testimony scheduled for Thursday, June 27 at 9:30 a.m. in Washington, D.C.
WHAT: Dr. Jessica Redfern, Associate Vice President of Ocean Conservation Science in the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium, will testify in opposition to a proposed bill, H.R. 8704, that would delay the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) ability to implement its proposed protections for North Atlantic right whales from vessel strikes through December 31, 2030.
WHEN: Thursday, June 27, 2024, at 9:30 a.m.
WHERE: U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources’ Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee in Washington, D.C. The testimony will be livestreamed here. The Aquarium will also supply Dr. Redfern’s written testimony after the hearing.
DETAILS: The hearing will consider H.R. 8704, which would have devastating consequences for North Atlantic right whales because it delays NOAA’s ability to implement its proposed protections for right whales from vessel strikes through December 31, 2030. Right whales must survive long enough to benefit from the approaches for coexistence that would be funded in this bill, including technology and enhanced awareness.
There are less than 360 right whales, of which there are less than 70 reproductive females. Vessel strikes are a leading cause of the decline of the critically endangered right whale. A long history of research shows that NOAA’s 2008 Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule is not sufficient to protect right whales.
Dr. Redfern provided scientific evidence at a subcommittee hearing in June 2023 that shows the revisions in NOAA’s Proposed Rule would contribute to right whale survival by reducing the risk of vessel strikes, especially during particularly vulnerable times, like calving season, which occurs annually from November through April. Recent research shows that the revisions in the Proposed Rule will also protect humpback, fin, and sei whales from vessel strikes. It has been more than 22 months since NOAA proposed the revisions and the Final Rule has yet to be released. In the year since Dr. Redfern testified, at least three right whales were killed by vessel strikes. This is more than four times the number of deaths estimated to be sustainable by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (0.7 Potential Biological Removal). These deaths have increased the urgency of implementing the revisions in the Proposed Rule to help curb the current trajectory towards the extinction of the right whale species.
The implications for the survival of right whales are clear: action is needed now to reduce vessel strike risk. Protecting whales through measures known to be effective, such as speed restrictions, and funding the development of other approaches, including technology, to reduce vessel strike risk are not mutually exclusive: it is critical to ensure right whales survive long enough for the approaches in H.R. 8704 to be developed, assessed, and carried out.
WHO: Dr. Jessica Redfern has been using statistical models to address wildlife conservation challenges for more than 20 years. She earned a B.A. in mathematics at The Colorado College and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, through the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management. She is currently Associate Vice President of Ocean Conservation Science in the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, the dedicated research arm of the New England Aquarium that uses marine science to protect animals and help others use the ocean responsibly. Dr. Redfern has published numerous scientific papers on a broad range of topics, including species habitat modeling, vessel traffic patterns, the risk of human activities to whales (i.e., vessel strikes, entanglements, and chronic noise), and estimating species diversity to guide designation of marine protected areas.
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
- The New England Aquarium’s scientific research on vessel speed restrictions
- NOAA’s proposed changes to the vessel strike reduction rule
- The New England Aquarium’s comments on the proposed amendments
LIVE STREAM LINK: https://naturalresources.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=416176
MEDIA CONTACT: Diana McCloy, diana@teakmedia.com; 978-697-9414