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Intervention Sought to Protect Endangered Right Whales from Deadly Vessel Strikes
Conservation groups have filed a motion to intervene as defendants on behalf of NOAA Fisheries in a case challenging the agency’s 2008 vessel speed rule
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First Circuit Decision Reinstates Rule Protecting Right Whales
Conservation groups applaud a First Circuit Court of Appeals decision reinstating a 2024 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) rule that protects critically endangered North Atlantic
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Biden Admin Inaction Keeps Critically Endangered Whales on Road to Extinction
Conservation groups expressed anger and frustration at today’s announcement by NOAA Fisheries to withdraw a proposed rule expanding protections for North Atlantic right whales from
More North Atlantic Right Whale Press Releases
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U.S. House Adopts Amendment Adding $1.5 Million to Right Whale Funds
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted an amendment to the fiscal year 2021 Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill, increasing funding for monitoring and researching the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale by $1.5 million.
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U.S. House Committee Passes Additional $2 Million for Right Whale Research
The U.S. House Committee on Appropriations passed the Fiscal Year 2021 Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) bill out of committee with an additional $2 million toward protecting the imperiled North Atlantic right whale. The news was welcomed by scientists and environmental groups—including Defenders of Wildlife—who have advocated for greater federal investment to protect the right whale, of which fewer than 400 remain today.
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IUCN: North Atlantic Right Whale Now “Critically Endangered”
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced today that it is changing the status of the North Atlantic right whale from “endangered” to “critically endangered” on its Red List of Threatened Species, recognizing that the species faces an extremely high risk of extinction. The IUCN Red List is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of species.
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North Atlantic Right Whale Found Dead Off New Jersey Coast
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries officials announced today that a dead North Atlantic right whale has been sighted off the coast of Elberon, New Jersey. The whale has not yet been identified, though NOAA and the Marine Mammal Stranding Center are working to secure a necropsy site. Cause of death is unknown. This marks the first confirmed right whale death in U.S. waters in 2020.
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Trump Orders Cuts in Regulations that ‘Inhibit Economic Recovery'
President Trump signed an executive order on May 19, directing agencies to identify deregulatory actions to spur economic growth. The order directs agency administrators to
jcovey@defenders.org
