The boating and fishing community stood united last week at a special press conference hosted by the Viking Yacht Company at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, urging the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to stop moving forward with proposed 10-knot speed restrictions aimed at boats 35 feet and above along the Atlantic Coast. “The marine industry is completely sensitive to the status and outlook of the North Atlantic right whale,” Viking President and CEO Pat Healey told the crowd, while adding “But this is a deeply flawed rule – rushed and put into play with zero participation or input from the boating and fishing community.”
The Fisherman’s owner/publisher Mike Caruso was on hand for the Fort Lauderdale press conference and is urging readers and partners to chime in before the public comment period closes on October 31, 2022. Just think about what a 10-knot speed restriction would mean for you and your crew as you were making plans to fish the offshore wrecks and edges in the future. Leave your comments for NOAA before the October deadline comes to a close!
Read more at The Fisherman Magazine from our October 17, 2022 edition about this Whale of A Problem.
