MSIB 18-22

SPEED RESTRICTION IMPOSED TO PROTECT
NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES

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The Captain of the Port, Delaware Bay advises all vessels transiting the Mid-Atlantic Ocean that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has established regulations which implement a 10-knot speed restriction for all vessels 65 ft (19.8 m) or greater in specified locations (called Seasonal Management Areas or SMAs) during certain times of the year along the east coast of the U.S. Atlantic seaboard. These regulations are designed to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales by reducing the likelihood of collisions between ships and whales.