More fed agency over stepping

[FSH 210 Sport]

Why am I not surprised by this crap? Take a few moments to find the proper place to comment to NOAA and tell them to stop this rule making. NOAA has NO law making authority at all, totally out of control.

https://boattest.com/article/calls-vessel-speed-restriction-us-gulf-mexico-protect-rices-whale?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=263948175&_hsenc=p2ANqtz---fhqqgLgci5qtYOdc8ns2vJlVDZXaOxu2Up-2pQdlNb6zkVYYbqu5fR1qsTdiRllzrES6zCvYjjGK-Ii3rdza0T_aJw&utm_content=263948175&utm_source=hs_email

 

[zipper]

https://jetboaters.net/threads/possible-new-regulations.40210/#post-635019

 

[fatboyroy]

10KT will take 10 hours to go 100 miles yikes. Also the fact that boat size is not mentioned is absurd, at least in the atlantic side restriction applies to boat > 32ft. The ocean is so vast, collision with whales are so rare. In fact if a collision happens it will be on the news, unless you have large steel hull vessels, whale will sink recreational boat.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

https://jetboaters.net/threads/possible-new-regulations.40210/#post-635019

Yes that one too… this is why I’m not too surprised by this bs.

I think, and I could be wrong on this, that most of the Wright whale deaths have been in the vicinity of where the pilings are being driven for off shore wind farms.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

10KT will take 10 hours to go 100 miles yikes. Also the fact that boat size is not mentioned is absurd, at least in the atlantic side restriction applies to boat > 32ft. The ocean is so vast, collision with whales are so rare. In fact if a collision happens it will be on the news, unless you have large steel hull vessels, whale will sink recreational boat.

Exactly.

No documented cases of any whale strikes. This is the same crap that the land based enviro’s used to do, “the possibility of an endangered species“ in the area was cause to close off an area, and may still do with “endangered” species on land. To wit, was the case of a certain breed of bobcat up in Colorado, “staff” on the national forest in that area said they found a rub and had collected hair samples from an area adjacent to where a private, as in on private land, ski resort was going to be built. An old guy on staff thought that was highly unusual as he had spent his entire life in that area and had never seen such a creature. As it turns out, the hair was dna scanned and found to be match to a an animal in captivity. In other words, the national forest staff members who said they found a rub had indeed planted the hair there. That is a conspiracy. A conspiracy to lock people out of their land.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

As per usual finding the comment page on the fed web site took a lot of searching.

Request for Comments: NOAA Fisheries Requests Public Comments on a Petition to Establish a Mandatory 10-Knot Speed Limit and Other Vessel-Related Mitigation Measures to Protect Endangered Rice’s Whales in Gulf of Mexico

FB23-028: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Bulletin; For more information, contact: Laura Engleby, 727-824-5312, laura.engleby@noaa.gov

www.fisheries.noaa.gov

The supporting documents are put forth by the usual suspects, this list met all of my suppositions.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/s3/2023-03/Rices-Whale-Petition.pdf

If the readers will notice, there are numerous “could” ”may” etc.. with no real documented strikes etc in the area of rule making. This is typical of such proposed rule making. Also, the document does state that largest threat is from LARGE ships not smaller fishing vessel’s.

You can find the comment section here:

Regulations.gov

www.regulations.gov

Just one of the many comments..

I have been following this issue with great interest and reading various articles about whale deaths with allegations coming from the use of off shore windmills to pollution, disease, to boat impacts. The state of FL wanted to do the same thing by banning boating but the real reason why manatees were so populous in boating areas was that FL Power and Light had warm water discharges that allowed the manatees to stay further north rather than going through their normal migratory cycle. FL fish and wildlife actually conducted autopsies on manatees that had been struck by boats - as evidenced by prop strikes - and determined that the size prop came from commercial fishing boats that were non-displacement type vessels with deep drafts and large props. I have seen no evidence to suggest that NOAA has determined through any scientific means that boat/propeller strikes have either a) lead to the death of the whale, b) were of a size prop that would be on a vessel 35 feet to 65 feet. A recent dialog with one of NOAA's chief scientists said that whales and their calves tend to be close to the surface during that season and close was determined at or within 10 feet. Being an expert in the marine industry, I know of no vessel 65' or below that has a draft with props deeper than 5 feet. Additionally, almost all ocean going recreational craft are planning vessels and at cruising speed have even less hull in the water. Show the science behind the strikes. Show the evidence that you have to include boats below or above 65 feet. Arbitrary rule making without concrete science makes no sense. I am opposed to extending the restrictions to boats above 35' to 65' and to extending the protected zone above what we currently have in place.

My submitted comment:
Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to read my submitted comment.

This proposed rule making lacks any direct scientific study to support the proposed rule making. The supporting documents from the petitioners cites probable threats to the Rice’s whale while not identifying any smaller strikes by vessels less than 65’. Further, the proposed speed restrictions outline depths of 100M to 400M and vessels of less than 65’ have a draft of less than 4’. Further, the supporting documentation by the petitioners cites the greatest threat being large ships and not smaller vessels, with smaller vessels being part of the “may” assertions.

Please do not go forward with this proposed rule until exhaustive research shows that such a draconian reduction in speed of vessels less than 65’ is warranted.

Regards,

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Please take the time to make a comment, it does matter that you participate.

 

[zipper]

Seems to me that this will impact sport fishing commercial vessels and not too many recreational boats. Rice's Whale Core Distribution Area Map & GIS Data

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Seems to me that this will impact sport fishing commercial vessels and not too many recreational boats. Rice's Whale Core Distribution Area Map & GIS Data

As with most regs of this nature, this is just the tip of the shaft. Mission creep takes over from there.

I was involved in the land use fight for decades, like three, I can tell you that after years of making compromises and then finally coming to a compromise with the petitioners that the ink was not even dry before the same petitioners filed an injunction to stop the very document they had just signed and wanted more compromises etc… there is no compromising with these groups, they want and are after a total ban, and this is the way they work, just keep chipping away at peoples access.

Mark my words, if the petitioners get this “slow down” in very short order they will find that 10Kts is too fast. As mentioned in their own supporting document, just the sound of the vessels interfere’s with these whales.. but we won’t talk about the noise of installing wind farms or the low frequency hum of wind turbines running a lot more than fishing vessels. Its all right there in their document.. one just has to let oneself see what they are after.

 

[zipper]

As with most regs of this nature, this is just the tip of the shaft. Mission creep takes over from there.

I was involved in the land use fight for decades, like three, I can tell you that after years of making compromises and then finally coming to a compromise with the petitioners that the ink was not even dry before the same petitioners filed an injunction to stop the very document they had just signed and wanted more compromises etc… there is no compromising with these groups, they want and are after a total ban, and this is the way they work, just keep chipping away at peoples access.

Mark my words, if the petitioners get this “slow down” in very short order they will find that 10Kts is too fast. As mentioned in their own supporting document, just the sound of the vessels interfere’s with these whales.. but we won’t talk about the noise of installing wind farms or the low frequency hum of wind turbines running a lot more than fishing vessels. Its all right there in their document.. one just has to let oneself see what they are after.

I get it. Seen it happening in Vermont for 40+ years. Too many envirmetalists decided to base themselves here. Now we can't even dredge channels for navigation of deeper draft vessels to get to other areas around the broad lake.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

That’s modus operandi for those groups.

 

[zipper]

That’s modus operandi for those groups.

Ya, they don’t care much for boating tourism as they glide over the shallows in their kayaks counting mud puppies.. Why did they have humanize salamanders by calling them puppies? Lol

 

[anmut]

This is what happens when you give the "we don't like mean tweets" crowd a cookie. They're going to demand their glass of milk.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

This case went before SCOTUS today.. we shall see how it turns out.

 

[TeenGee]

The manatees were used to do the same thing to us in the Banana and Indian rivers on the east coast of Florida.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

This is what happens when boat owners and industry get involved and push back against such non scientific “rule making”. I’m loving this trend of taking these multi lettered agencies to task about creating laws, laws are made through the legislative processes not through some out of control lettered agency.

Thanks to everyone who took a few minutes of their day to write in and voice their opposition to this “rule”.

I love the part we don’t have enough time to go through all of the comments….

Proposed Ban on Speed Withdrawn by NOAA | BoatTEST

NMFS, under NOAA, withdrew a proposed 10-knot speed limit for recreational boats in U.S. coastal areas, marking a victory for boat owners and the industry.

boattest.com