Boats up and down the Eastern Seaboard are ignoring seasonal speed limits meant to protect endangered right whales, according to a new report from Oceana.

The environmental advocacy organization says one of the areas where that’s happening the most is at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The report said 72% of the vessels that passed through between 2020 and 2022 were speeding – some excessively.

Oceana says excessive boat speeds most seriously impact North Atlantic right whales, which are critically endangered.

The group recently estimated there are only about 356 of the species left.

The species has been undergoing an unusual mortality event since 2017. More than 100 whales have been killed or seriously injured in a dramatic uptick in incidents with humans.

Right whales have a long history of overharvesting. Whalers brought an estimated population of 21,000 down to less than 100 by the 1920s. As whale oil became less of a commodity and harvesting the species was outlawed, their numbers were threatened by other dangers: vessel strikes and entanglements in fishing gear. Now, those are the two main causes of death for the species.

Right whales are slow-moving and dark in color. They also lack dorsal fins, making it hard for boaters to spot them even when they’re near the surface of the water. As more vessels ignore speed limits, the reaction time to spotting a whale drops, and collisions become more likely, Oceana says.

The new report described two types of speed limits – seasonal mandatory limits and year-round voluntary limits. Seasonal limits are active November through April and are set at 10 knots and under to reduce the risk of whale strikes.

Voluntary limits are only recommendations, and the areas move depending on where whales and other wildlife have been spotted.

Oceana’s report found that both types are violated by an average 83% of vessels along the East Coast. The worst offenders are cargo vessels, Oceana said.

The highest speed recorded in the bay during the study was a Virginia Beach Police vessel in 2022. The boat reached 39 knots, nearly 4 times the limit.

The Chesapeake Bay is home to the largest naval installation in the world, as well as the sixth-busiest port in the nation, the Port of Virginia – and the eighth-busiest, the Port of Baltimore. Because of the volume and speed of marine traffic in the area, Oceana said vessel strikes are unavoidable if regulations don’t change.

• 
•