OCEAN CITY, Md. -- Oceana, a non-profit organization, is pushing for a 10-knot speed limit for boats 35 feet and over to be implemented as soon as possible. The reduced speed limit is intended to help protect the endangered right whale species, of which there are roughly 340 left.
The organization filed a petition to the Secretary of Commerce last week asking for immediate action. If it goes through, the rule change would cover much of the East Coast out to 90 nautical miles and would be in affect from November until May 31st. This rule change was first proposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization, or N.O.A.A, earlier this year.
Fisherman, like Jason Norton, remain opposed.
"It's crazy," said Norton. "I mean maybe for ships or something like that, but anybody that’s with sports fishing, recreational fishing, commercial fishing, it’s crazy."
However, Oceana campaign director Gib Brogan says these safeguards need to be put in place now, and he says the federal government has the power to do so.
"They need to take action right now to give these whales the protection that they need, because even if one dies, it's going to set the recovery of the species back," said Brogan.
Oceana believes the best way to take action is forcing boats to slow down.
"One of the proven ways to reduce the risk that a whale will be killed by a vessel, whether it's a large ship or a smaller boat, is to slow down," said Brogan. "That can reduce the risk of a whale dying by nearly 90%."
Fisherman say slowing down and having to spend more time on the water can actually make their jobs more dangerous, especially at night.
"If we have a three or four hour to and from destination to get to and from, and it now takes us 10,12, 15, 18 hours, the likelihood of something going wrong at sea significantly increases," said Ryan Knapp.
Knapp added this could also lead to others getting hurt.
"That puts other peoples lives at risk, the Coast Guard, DNR, all these other people or other entities that have to come out there to assist us to save other peoples lives," said Knapp.
The current 10-knots or lower speed limit only applies to boats 65 feet or larger. Brogan says it's not enough.
"They don’t have adequate protection, the current speed limits that are in place only apply to boats that are over 65 feet, we know that smaller boats have killed right whales, including calves in recent years," said Brogan.
Fisherman we spoke with though are steadfast that they've never had a negative encounter with a right whale and that the boats they own or work on should be exempt.
"There’s never been people that I know who have had any interactions with these whales as far as having an accident," said Knapp. "So for me to think this is a good proposal, it’s not, it takes away the livelihood of all the people that live here."
A speed limit change intended to calm the seas, but some say it could actually lead to rough waters.