GREAT NEWS!!

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NOAA’s Proposed Vessel Speed Limit Reduction Amendment to reduce North Atlantic Right Whale strikes has been withdrawn. This would have caused a drastic, negative economic impact on not only our watermen in N.C. but all boaters from the Bay of Maine to just south of Jacksonville, FL. The North Carolina Watermen United has worked tirelessly since the ruling was first proposed in the summer of 2022. Over the last thirty (30) months we have sent numerous position papers to NOAA, held personal interviews with the Federal Office of Management & Budget, and reached out to other organizations in surrounding states. In preparation of the Amendment being enacted, the NCWU also worked alongside the Southeastern Legal Foundation to file suit in federal court if needed. This is a satisfying blueprint of what can be accomplished with when organizations and concerned individuals work together on a piece of legislation that we all feel is neither fair nor equitable.

 

 

The accompanying article from the Outer Banks News/Island Free Press by Sam Walker dated January 17, 2025  provides more specifics: 

https://islandfreepress.org/outer-banks-news/noaa-withdraws-vessel-speed-limit-proposal-to-

reduce-north-atlantic-right-whale-strikes/

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