SPECTRUM NEWS • February 15, 2026
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday that it plans to soon announce proposed new rules designed to "modernize" North Atlantic right whale protections. The proposal will be a "deregulatory-focused action" that will seek to "reduce unnecessary regulatory and economic burdens while ensuring responsible conservation practices for endangered North Atlantic right whales." Several environmental groups criticized the move away from vessel speed rules. Some cited the Feb. 10 confirmation of the death of a 3-year-old female whale. Right whales migrate every year from calving grounds off Florida and Georgia to feeding grounds off New England and Canada. Along the way, they are vulnerable to collisions with ships and entanglement in commercial fishing gear. They were once numerous off the East Coast but were decimated during the commercial whaling era and have been federally protected for decades.