SAVE Right Whales Act of 2019 - Summer

Team Members: Olivia Alves, Sophie Capshaw-Mack, Josh Cooper, Charlotte Doyle, Alisha Lee, Nathalia Nagai, Sherry Qiu, Mike Stellitano, Chelsea Vargas, Yuxi Wang

The North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world, with a population of fewer than 450 individuals and declining due to human-related threats. The primary drivers of mortality are vessel strikes and entanglement in commercial fishing gear, particularly from lobster and crab fisheries along the U.S. East Coast. Declining population trends threaten not only the species’ survival but also the ecological stability of marine ecosystems where right whales play a key role. Existing regulatory frameworks have proven insufficient to halt population decline, highlighting the need for stronger federal action. The SAVE Right Whales Act (H.R. 1568) seeks to address these threats by authorizing federal funding to support conservation programs, reduce entanglement risks, and improve monitoring and enforcement capacity.

Analysis of program implementation emphasizes the importance of investing in innovative fishing gear technologies, such as ropeless fishing systems, to reduce entanglement risk while maintaining economic viability for fisheries. Expanded funding for research, surveillance, and conservation partnerships would improve understanding of whale migration patterns and enhance protection measures. Economic analysis indicates that proactive conservation is more cost-effective than responding to species collapse, which would result in irreversible ecological and economic losses. Successful implementation depends on coordination among federal agencies, fisheries, and conservation organizations, as well as sustained funding. Strengthening protections for right whales would help prevent extinction, preserve marine ecosystem health, and demonstrate the effectiveness of proactive species conservation policy.

Learn more about the MPA-ESP Workshop in Applied Earth Systems Management.