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A4 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 30 July 2022
Ships must slow down more often to save whales, feds say

By PATRICK WHITTLE other stakeholders to bet-
Associated Press ter protect the right whales,
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — said Chris Waddington, the
Vessels off the East Coast chamber's technical direc-
must slow down more of- tor.
ten to help save a vanish- The chamber's members
ing species of whale from are used to complying with
extinction, the federal gov- speed limits in whale zones,
ernment said Friday. he said.
The National Oceanic and "The shipping industry takes
Atmospheric Administra- the protection of whales
tion made the announce- seriously and has under-
ment via new proposed taken measures to safe-
rules designed to prevent guard them, from engag-
ships colliding with North ing stakeholders to reduc-
Atlantic right whales. Vessel ing speed and rerouting,"
strikes and entanglement Waddington said. "There is
in fishing gear are the two always more that can be
biggest threats to the giant done, and that is why we
animals, which number less are working with the IMO
than 340 and are falling in and conservationists on
population. reviewing maritime guide-
Efforts to save the whales lines."
have long focused on fish- A North Atlantic right whale feeds on the surface of Cape Cod bay, March 28, 2018, off the coast The whales were once nu-
ing gear, especially that of Plymouth, Mass. merous off the East Coast,
used by East Coast lobster Associated Press but their populations plum-
fishermen. The proposed meted due to commercial
vessel speed rules signal require more vessels to are mandatory, while oth- stantly at risk from speed- whaling generations ago.
that the government wants comply with the rules by ers are voluntary. ing vessels," said Gib Bro- Although they've been pro-
the shipping industry to expanding the size classes Environmental groups gan, a campaign director tected under the Endan-
take more responsibility. that must slow down. The have made the case that at Oceana. "It's no secret gered Species Act for de-
"Changes to the existing rules also state that NOAA many boats don't comply that speeding vessels are cades, they've been slow
vessel speed regulation would create a framework with the speed restrictions rampant throughout North to recover.
are essential to stabilize to implement mandatory and that the rules need Atlantic right whales' mi- More than 50 of the whales
the ongoing right whale speed restrictions when to be tighter. Environmen- gration route, all along the were struck by ships be-
population decline and whales are known to be tal organization Oceana East Coast." tween spring 1999 and
prevent the species' extinc- present outside the season- released a report in 2021 Many members of the ship- spring 2018, NOAA records
tion," state the proposed al slow zones. that said noncompliance ping industry were keenly state. Scientists have said
rules, which are slated to Federal authorities spent was as high as nearly 90% aware the new speed in recent years that warm-
be published in the federal a few years reviewing the in voluntary zones and was rules were on the way. The ing ocean temperatures
register. speed regulations used to also dangerously low in the London-based Internation- are causing the whales to
The new rules would ex- protect the whales. The mandatory ones. al Chamber of Shipping, stray out of protected ar-
pand seasonal slow zones shipping rules have long "The government is propos- which represents more eas and into shipping lanes
off the East Coast that re- focused on a patchwork ing a significant improve- than 80% of the world mer- in search of food.
quire mariners to slow down of slow zones that require ment in protections for chant fleet, has been work- Environmentalists have said
to 10 knots (19 kilometers mariners to slow down for North Atlantic right whales ing with the International that's a good reason to
per hour). They would also whales. Some of the zones today, which are con- Maritime Organization and tighten protections. q

Raid seizes contraband thought headed to Oklahoma prisons

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) the department, said few partment said.
— Contraband includ- other details could be re- "They had everything there
ing weapons, cellphones, leased because it involves that you would need to try
drones and grappling an ongoing investigation to get a contraband drop
hooks believed to be into contraband being into a facility — some of
headed to state prisons smuggled into prisons. the drops were already
was seized at a warehouse Seized items included 31 wrapped up and ready for
in Oklahoma City, the Okla- cellphones, which have delivery," Inspector Gener-
homa Department of Cor- been used to run drug rings al Ted Woodhead said.
rections announced Friday. from prisons and to coordi- Drones have been used
The department's Office of nate inmate violence, such to deliver contraband into
Inspector General learned as fights in 2019 at several prisons nationwide, includ-
of the contraband and state prisons that left one ing federal prisons, leading
raided the warehouse on inmate dead and dozens to charges this month in
July 15 with Oklahoma Bu- injured. Ammunition, drugs, Beaumont, Texas.
reau of Narcotics agents, tobacco and $8,500 in The Biden administration
according to a news re- counterfeit $100 bills were has called on Congress to
This Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, file photo, shows fencing and an old lease from Corrections De- also seized. The grappling expand authority for feder-
guard tower at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, partment spokesperson hooks were intended to re- al and local governments
Okla. Josh Ward. Justin Brown, trieve the contraband, the to take action to counter
Associated Press another spokesperson for Oklahoma Corrections De- nefarious uses of drones.q