Gamefishing boat maker fights whale-friendly US speed limit extension

Seasonal whale-friendly speed limits already exist along parts of the East Coast between Massachusetts to Florida, but a proposal to expand the timeline and area where the 10-knot speed limit will apply has enraged recreational boaters.

Viking Yachts, a New Jersey-based gamefishing brand that builds high-speed tournament boats capable of covering large distances at high speed, has taken a lead in the fight against the speed limit.

The rule, which will apply to boats of more than 10.6 metres, was proposed by the National Marine Fisheries Service earlier this year, and aims to reduce the likelihood of boats crashing into migrating North Atlantic right whales.

Boaters are up in arms about the proposal because the restrictions will apply to around 2500 kilometres of coastline and range up to 100 nautical miles offshore, and will stay in force for around seven months of the year. 

Viking Yachts director of government affairs and sustainability John DePersenaire said the proposed rule would become “the most consequential maritime regulation that we have ever seen imposed on the recreational boating and fishing sector” if it became law.

“It will affect not only boat owners but marinas, tackle shops, charter boat operators – basically all maritime-related businesses on the Atlantic Coast,” he said.

The North Atlantic right whale is an endangered species, with vessel strikes making a large contribution to the number of what the National Marine Fisheries Service refers to as “unusual” deaths.

According to the service, whale numbers have been in decline over the last decade after rebounding slightly after commercial whaling of the species was stopped in the 1930s.

This was put down to a combination of boat strikes either badly injuring or even killing whales, as well as a low birth rate - one year the species recorded no known births.

The whales inhabit US waters year-round but, are more active along the coastline during late autumn to early summer.

According to Viking, the go-slow rule was proposed without any consultation with the recreational boating community.

The main concern for recreational boaters is that the 10-knot speed limit will force boats to reduce speed so much that it “compromises their maneuverability and overall safety at sea”.

Viking claims there has been one whale strike a year for the last 24 years, of which only eight were attributed to boats ranging from 10.6 to 19.8 metres that will be the target of the new extended go-slow law.

According to Viking Yachts chief executive Pat Healey, extending the 10-knot zone would be a “devastating regulatory mandate”. 

“Right whale vessel strikes have just not been an issue for our industry,” Healey said. “This is a classic example of government overreach.”