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Two North Atlantic right whales swimming alongside one another in the ocean
Washington, DC

Defenders Calls Foul on Latest Bill Seeking to Delay Protections for the Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale

Defenders of Wildlife condemns HR 9436, which would delay right whale protections until 2035, as entanglements push the species toward extinction.
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right whale calf
Washington, D.C.

Trump Administration Announces First Step in Rolling Back Rule Protecting Whales

The Trump administration today took the first official step in rolling back a 2008 regulation vital to protecting critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from
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Two North Atlantic right whales swimming alongside one another in the ocean
Washington, D.C.

Defenders Raises Alarm Over Administration’s Proposal to Amend Rule Protecting North Atlantic Right Whales From Deadly Vessel Strikes

Defenders of Wildlife is devastated to learn that a three-year-old female North Atlantic right whale was found dead off Virginia on February 10, 2026. This

More North Atlantic Right Whale Press Releases

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Right Whale
Washington, DC

Statement on Gov. Janet Mills’ Letter to Abandon Federal Risk Reduction for the Right Whale

Yesterday, Maine Governor Janet T. Mills sent a letter announcing she will not accept federal guidelines for reducing risk to the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale.
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Right Whale
Washington, DC

Statement on Maine Congressional Delegation’s Letter to President Trump on Right Whale Regulations

Today, the Maine Congressional Delegation sent a letter to President Trump asking him to prevent the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from developing new science-based regulations to protect the North Atlantic right whale from deadly fishing gear.
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Right Whale
Washington, DC

Canadian Government Takes Baby Steps to Mitigate Endangered Right Whale Deaths

In the week following the documentation of three separate entangled North Atlantic right whales in Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau announced several new measures to try to prevent additional deaths of this endangered species.
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Right Whale
Washington, DC

Pro-Wildlife Package Sails Through House; House Defeats Bad Arctic Refuge, Right Whale Riders

The House has approved key natural resource sections in the Interior-Environment and Commerce-Justice-Science funding bills, of H.R. 3055, the second minibus of fiscal year 2020 appropriations bills. The Interior Appropriations bill provides an extraordinary $37 million increase for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s endangered species program to support recovery efforts for our most vulnerable species.
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Piping plover mom and chick
Washington, DC

Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration’s Rollbacks of Offshore Drilling Safety Regs

Ten environmental groups sued the Trump administration today to challenge rollbacks of the 2016 Well Control and Blowout Preventer Rule, a safety regulation meant to prevent another blowout like what happened during the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Senior Vice President, External Affairs
lsheehan@defenders.org
(202) 772-3244
Communications Director
mdewane@defenders.org
(202) 772-0217
Communications Specialist
jcovey@defenders.org
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268
Communications Specialist
estern@defenders.org
202-772-0243