Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Boating Speed Limits for the NC Coast?
 It's been two years since the federal government began discussions about imposing speed limits near state ports to protect endangered whales, but the National Marine Fisheries Service's new proposed rule has stirred more emotions than any previous speed limit talk. The new proposed rule would include a 10 knot speed limit on vessels 65 feet long or greater in certain locations along the Atlantic seaboard at certain times of the year in order to protect endangered right whales. For North Carolina, the protected areas would be 30 nautical mile semi-circles around the ports at Morehead City and Wilmington from November 1st to April 30th. These discussions are especially troubling to charter boat captains. Many of the larger charter boats like Atlantic Beach's 83-foot-long Capt. Stacy IV and Morehead's 95-foot Carolina Princess would see travel times offshore increase by at least 2 hours. Although everyone would support the idea of protecting the extremely endangered right whale, whale and ship collisions off North Carolina's coast are virtually unheard of. One local charter captain sums it up nicely, "I've never had one to come up close, within 100 yards when we're at speed. Nobody has ever hit one off this coast because I would have heard about it." More on the proposed speed limits is available from the New Bern Sun Journal. Comments on the proposed rule may be sent to shipstrike.comments@noaa.gov.
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