Scientific Assistance for Very Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales Act of 2019

North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) are critically endangered, with approximately 400 whales remaining at the time of the introduction of this Act;

historically, the North Atlantic right whale population was decimated by the whaling industry, although the whale population received protections from such industry in the 1930s;

despite a modest recovery prior to 2010, the North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered whales in the world and has experienced a significant decline since 2010;

the North Atlantic right whale has been listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 (Public Law 89–669; 80 Stat. 926) and its successor the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) since 1970 and is designated as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.);

because North Atlantic right whales are long-lived and highly migratory, and at present rates females give birth to a single calf only once every 4 to 10 years, they are highly vulnerable to the impacts of human activity and habitat degradation;

North Atlantic right whales frequently cross paths with major shipping lanes and fishing grounds, leaving the whales particularly vulnerable to vessel collisions and fishing gear entanglements, the 2 leading causes of injury and death to the species;

even when North Atlantic right whales do not die as a result of fishing gear entanglement, those whales can still experience significant sub-lethal effects such as chronic stress and reproductive failure;

in August 2017, the National Marine Fisheries Service announced an unusual mortality event involving North Atlantic right whales in 2017, with 17 known whale deaths that year alone;

as of August 2019, such ongoing unusual mortality event includes the loss of at least 28 whales, a significant die-off of a population and, under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), demands an immediate response;

based on the current rate of mortality of North Atlantic right whales, and because of the small number of breeding females in the population and low birth rates, recent analysis suggests the species will lose its ability to recover in merely a few decades if human-caused mortality is not reduced immediately;

under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), United States fishermen in certain locations have been required to modify their fishing gear and behavior to minimize the likelihood of entanglements, including by using sinking groundlines, having weak links in buoy lines, using multiple traps per buoy, appropriately marking fishing gear, and complying with seasonal area-specific closures in North Atlantic right whale habitats;

vessels in United States waters that are 65 feet or more in length have been required to comply with a seasonal 10-knot speed limit in certain locations to reduce the threat of vessel collisions; and

North Atlantic right whales are now migrating farther north into Canadian waters and there have been at least 20 North Atlantic right whale deaths in Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence between 2017 and 2019, as well as 8 documented deaths of such whales in the United States waters in 2017 and 2018.

the Governments of the United States and Canada must work together to reduce lethal and sub-lethal effects of human activities on North Atlantic right whales; and

effectively addressing the threats to the long-term viability of the North Atlantic right whales will require a joint commitment and effort from government entities, local communities, marine scientists and conservationists, fishermen, owners and operators of passenger vessels and others in the shipping industry, and other stakeholders.