Two new letters released by advocates opposing H.R. 9436 demonstrate that opposition to the bill stretches across the Atlantic coast.
The letter from conservation leaders in Southeast states emphasizes the region’s special connection to North Atlantic right whales.
Each year, right whales migrate along the Atlantic coast, with pregnant females traveling to the shallow coastal waters of the Southeast, the only known region where the species regularly gives birth and nurses its calves. Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina serve as important migratory and sometimes foraging habitat, while Georgia and Florida encompass the species’ only known calving grounds. The right whales annual migration and calving season inspire community events, educational programs, and public engagement across the region, such as the annual Right Whale Festival held in northeast Florida.
Recognizing this exceptional connection, Georgia has designated the North Atlantic right whale as its official state marine mammal. The North Atlantic right whale is part of the region’s natural heritage and holds cultural significance for coastal communities, serving as a powerful symbol of the shared marine environment that connects our states.
The letter from New York and New Jersey leaders urges Congress to reject further delays and allow NOAA Fisheries to respond to threats using the best available science. North Atlantic right whales are regularly seen in the waters off of Long Island, New York and the Coast of New Jersey. Migrating over 1,000 miles from their northeast feeding grounds to their southern calving grounds, they have already been recorded in the New York Bight and southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey this year. In 2024, scientists from the New England Aquarium recorded 82 Right whales – including 56 in one day – forty miles south of Long Island. This represents nearly a quarter of the total North Atlantic right whale population.
