“The ‘Canada isn’t doing enough’ mantra is outdated and deflects attention from the need for the US to do more,” said Erica Fuller, a senior staff attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation.
“There are so few right whales left that every death brings this species closer to extinction,” said CLF Senior Attorney Erica Fuller. “The time for talk is over. Both the U.S. and Canadian governments need to protect this majestic species before it disappears from our oceans forever.”
North Atlantic right whales are one of the most endangered whales on the planet. This iconic species could go extinct in our lifetime, but it’s still within our power to save them. Meet the people using the power of the law, science, and photography to save the right whale — and join us in the fight.
“Massachusetts has always been a leader in prohibiting oil and gas development off its shores in federal waters,” said Peter Shelley, a senior attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation, which backs the proposal. “Something like this makes a lot of sense, even if it is somewhat symbolic at this point. It’s kind of a belt and suspenders approach.”
The North Atlantic right whale is on the brink of extinction, but there’s still hope for it to survive. We’re committed to an all-hands-on-deck approach to saving New England’s iconic whale – from litigation to legislation to community engagement. As part of those efforts, we were thrilled to co-host the 2019 Right Whale Festival at the New England Aquarium with the Aquarium and Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs.
“From agriculture and fisheries to recreation and tourism, our regional economy, culture, and way of life are on a knife’s edge,” said Bradley Campbell. “Our ability to stem the loss of other species will tell us whether we have the capacity to save our own.”
“Reducing and weakening the lines in the water is a start, but we need to go much further, much faster,” said Erica Fuller, a senior staff attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation, which has sued NOAA in an effort to force the agency to take more aggressive action to protect right whales.
“As we speak, there are two whales entangled in fishing gear 100 miles from this meeting,” said Erica Fuller, Senior Staff Attorney at CLF. “New England’s iconic whale can be saved if we’d simply stop allowing them to be killed year after year. Reducing and weakening the lines in the water is a start, but we need to go much further, much faster. Appropriate closures and ropeless fishing need to be part of the solution.”
“We need to get lines out of the water if we are going to protect the North Atlantic right whale,” says Emily Green, a lawyer at the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), one of several groups suing the federal government for better protections of the whales, protections that they say are mandated by the Endangered Species Act.
Check out the winning artwork from CLF and Bow Seat’s Healthy Whale, Healthy Ocean Challenge. This art contest invited K-12 students from the New England and Gulf of Maine regions in the U.S. and Canada to use their creative voices to highlight the critically endangered North Atlantic right whales and the need for conservation of marine ecosystems and resources.
