Government Shutdown Begins to Harm North Atlantic Right Whales
December 30, 2018

The government shutdown that began on December 22, 2018 is already hurting efforts to protect North Atlantic right whales. One of the many negative consequences of a government shutdown is the effect on departments and agencies that help protect marine species such as whales and this shutdown is no exception.

The Protected Species Branch of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the branch of the NEFSC that conducts research on right whales and maintains the Right Whale Sighting Advisory System, appears to be shutting down. The website now contains a notice stating, "Parts of the U.S. Government are closed. This site will not be updated; however, NOAA websites and social media channels necessary to protect lives and property will be maintained." Thankfully the Right Whale Sighting map is still active and shows that 53 North Atlantic right whales were seen south of Nantucket on December 30, 2018 - representing about 13% of the entire population.

Unfortunately, the protection is whales does not appear to be covered by the "lives and property" exemption and therefore the programs that North Atlantic right whales desperately need are not going to be funded. The Protected Species Branch does many things to protect whales under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) including investigating and prosecuting violations of the MMPA, managing the take (killing) of marine mammals by evaluating permits for projects that may harm species protected under the MMPA, developing reduction plans to minimize harm to marine mammals and investigating and responding to marine mammal unusual mortality events. They also do many things to protect whales under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) such as designating critical habitat, developing protective regulations for threatened species and issuing permits that authorize scientific research of species under the ESA. These are incredibly important functions that help protect highly endangered species such as North Atlantic right whales.

The other activities at risk from a shutdown that could end as soon as the current funding runs out include, but are not limited to: aerial surveys, ship-based surveys, autonomous surveys, ongoing scientific research and aerial assistance for disentanglement efforts. The current administration doesn't just have a weak record of protecting the earth and the species that reside here, they are aggressively undermining and repealing environmental and animal protection regulations on many levels such as undermining clean air protections, repealing the Clean Water Rule and trying to begin seismic blasting off the Atlantic coast that could drive North Atlantic right whales to extinction.

The pathetic, childish and incompetent actions from our government are disgusting. The same party has had full control in Washington for about two years and yet there have been three shutdowns this year alone. These politicians are willing to shut down vast swaths of the government, and all of the crucial programs they administer, to have an unpopular fight for an ecologically-disastrous border wall that will do little to actually help keep our nation safe. The adults have clearly left the room in Washington and those who remain are void of the intelligence or competence to effectively lead our nation. We can only hope that some sanity can be restored and the shutdown can end when the new Congress begins on January 3rd but considering how bad things are we don't hold out too much hope and we know that every day the shutdown lasts, the worse it gets. In the meantime, many crucial programs will suffer and so will the endangered species like North Atlantic right whales who depend on the laws, regulations and research that helps keep them alive.