Pat Healey, the president and CEO of Viking Yachts, minces no words about the situation facing owners of boats 35 feet and longer: &quot;If this would go into effect, it shuts down boating on the whole East Coast from November 1 to anywhere from the middle of April to the end of May.&quot; He&#39;s talking about a proposal from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that would impose a 10-knot speed limit along much of the coast for much of the year, as a way to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales. The highly controversial proposal has drawn the ire of recreational boating and fishing groups, which say the idea poses an existential threat to all recreational boaters. Since the rule-making process began last summer (see sidebar below), Healey and others have been trying to sound the alarm, as well as come up with a solution. Now, he says, they think they have one the government might like: a task force called Whale and Vessel Safety, or WAVES.<img src="https://cdn.magzter.com/1498743887/1684505781/articles/ETQunjfPD1686742720265/1378886863.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />&quot;Our objective is to go to NOAA and say, &#39;Hey, we&#39;re going to develop a way to track the whales: tagging them,&#39;&quot; Healey says. The idea is to take the same technology already used to tag and track marlin, tuna and other species, and now apply it to whales-in a way that lets boaters see the whales on their plotters, just like they&#39;d see an oncoming boat with an AIS signal. &quot;You&#39;ll be able to alter your course and avoid them,&quot; Healey says. The sport-fishing community has been most vocal about concerns with the government&#39;s proposal. Madelyne Rowan, tournament director of the White Marlin Open, says about 40 percent of participating boats in that tournament are chartered. If those boats can&#39;t operate normally the rest of the year, they&#39;ll go out of business-along with all the tackle shops, fuel docks, marinas and other businesses that make up marine communities, ultimately affecting all kinds of boaters.<img src="https://cdn.magzter.com/1498743887/1684505781/articles/ETQunjfPD1686742720265/8856333813.jpg" style="width: 300px; height: 379px;" />&quot;A lot of people don&#39;t understand the potential scope of the economic impact that this restriction will have,&quot; she says. Healey says it&#39;s an uphill battle to get NOAA to listen, but he likes his odds with the task-force concept: &quot;This is a sensible way to get all stakeholders involved, instead of having complete governmental overreach.&quot;

A Whale of a Problem

English

Spanish(español)

Bengali(বাঙালি)

Gujarati(ગુજરાતી)

Hindi(हिन्दी)

Malayalam(മലയാളം)

Tamil(தமிழ்)

Telugu(తెలుగు)

Yachting US

QUEEN FOR A DAY

"In the World of Yachting" - 1926

CARIBBEAN FUN TIMES TWO

TURNING TIDES

STAR LIGHT, DATA BRIGHT

FAMILY-FRIENDLY

AN EVEN BETTER VIEW

SUN RUNNER

EVERYDAY ESCAPES

SUBTLY SWEET

Download your favorite titles and read them offline, anytime and anywhere

Gift your loved ones with a Magzter Gift Card instantly and give them the freedom to read their favorite magazines and newspapers from thousands of best-selling titles.

Gift your loved ones with a Magzter Gift Card instantly and give them the freedom to read their favorite magazines from thousands of best-selling titles.

Gift your loved ones with a Magzter Gift Card instantly and give them the freedom to read their favorite magazines from {{magCount}}+ best-selling international titles.

Name

Please fill out this form if you need any help regarding publishing your content on Magzter

Since we launched, Magzter has been committed to partnering with global organizations to provide the greatest possible newsstand technology & service to our customers. Whether you are looking to offer magazine subscriptions to your customer database or just want to learn more, Magzter is committed to helping your business grow. To find out more, please fill out the questionnaire below: