Building on the past, thinking of the future

We’re all about building on past successes while recognizing the need to shore up weak spots and strengthen laws to create a strong future for the right whale. And it can’t come soon enough: the North Atlantic Right Whale is critically endangered.

GIVE NOW   Whale watches, beginning back in the 1970s, gave scientists and activists the information they needed to pave the way for the historic establishment of the national marine sanctuary system, including the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (1992) off the coast of Boston – and with it, a host of advancements and best practices were born.

Collaborative endeavors got results, including the requirement of sinking and break-away lobster trap lines, mandatory ship reporting systems, and collision avoidance systems. The world’s first automatic whale detection system and an emergency whale disentanglement network were created. Seasonal slow-speed zones were put in place, and even the shipping channel into Boston was rerouted to stay out of the whales’ way as much as possible.

These historic victories grew the right whale population, but as time passed, we saw that these actions and one sanctuary were insufficient to keep the right whale population growing.

This Giving Tuesday, please consider contributing to our call for the Right Whale National Marine Sanctuary and our mission to manage better, safer, and healthier seascapes.

And we’re not doing it alone! We’re bringing together folks from every relevant industry and walk of life to work together. From fishers and lobstermen to government agencies and local tribes – one powerful thing we learned from the Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary is that collective resource management, where all sides are heard and understood, drives progress forward.

If you’re hunting for a non-profit to support today on Giving Tuesday, I hope you’ll chip in to create the Right Whale National Marine Sanctuary!

Thank you for your support!

Rob