In a move that could have dramatic impacts on the ocean, the federal government wants to remove some protections and modify others for a host of marine life − including sea turtles and North Atlantic right whales off the North Carolina coast − to help revitalize the American seafood industry.
Calling the layers of bureaucracy and red tape commercial fishermen now have to navigate unwieldy and economic anchors, the Trump administration wants to cut back rules and regulations fishermen have to follow to protect endangered species and open protected marine areas to fishing.
But environmentalists and biologists fear the moves could seriously hurt some marine species that are teetering on the edge of extinction or only now showing signs of recovery
after decades of recovery efforts.
Dr. Robert Schick, a marine biologist at the Duke University Marine Lab, said he understands the government's proposal to embrace new and emerging technologies to help manage and get a better picture of the marine environment.
"But doing so and then proposing to abandon all the things that are working, that we know work, doesn't seem smart to me," he said. "I think we need and can have both."
'Innovative solutions that streamline regulations'
Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has zeroed in on environmental regulations as inhibiting U.S. growth and economic opportunities. Key environmental protections that have been rolled back in the past 20 months include wetland rules, air pollution regulations, opening up federally protected areas to logging and oil and gas drilling, and diluting the breadth and scope of the Endangered Species Act.
Some officials and business leaders also think the government's push to protect the environment and threatened species, while well-intentioned, has gone too far in the real world, adding years of delays to projects and costs to running businesses -- including commercial fishing.
In a Sept. 2 news release, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a series of steps it said will "reduce regulatory burdens and better support the health of our industry, while maintaining our public trust duty to maintain stock and ocean ecosystem health."
"Through these priorities, the agency is taking actionable steps to fulfill the president's vision of making the United States the world's dominant seafood leader,” said NOAA Administrator Dr. Neil Jacobs. “NOAA is proud to deliver real-world results to the American public through innovative solutions that streamline regulations.”
The agency said the moves come after NOAA reviewed comments from more than 700 individuals and organizations over the past few months.
What's being proposed?
Among the changes that could impact fishermen and marine life in Tar Heel waters include relying more on technology to limit vessel strikes of North Atlantic right whales along the East Coast instead of just implementing seasonal go-slow zones or increasing the number of vessels that have to follow the speed limit requirement while near shore.
Officials also want to review and revise requirements for shrimp boats to have turtle excluder devices, escape openings fitted into commercial fishing nets to allow sea turtles and other large marine animals to escape.
Changes also could be coming to the red snapper fishery, which would see more power returned to individual states to manage the fishery.
The agency also wants to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to focus more attention on economic impacts from declaring areas "critical habitats," which brings with it a raft of rules users have to follow to limit impacts on the habitat and associated species, and limiting the use of the "worst-case scenario" in determining biological decisions associated with what protections threatened and endangered species should receive.
Some otherchanges NOAA announced include:
- Removing commercial fishing prohibitions across multiple Pacific Ocean marine monuments.
- Reviewing bycatch management rules.
- No longer mandating the use of ropeless fishing gear in the Northeast lobster fishery − a major source of entanglements involving North Atlantic right whales.
- Reviewing protections offered to California sea lions in relation to their impact on fishing stocks.
- Refining and modernizing a host of data collection and review practices by integrating new technology and AI.
Commercial fishermen, including in North Carolina, continue to face a raft of domestic and international challenges. They include cheap foreign seafood imports, rising fuel and other costs, an aging workforce, a loss of waterfront access as more lucrative tourism and vacation homes eat up working waterfronts, and increased restrictions on what and how much they can catch due to overfishing concerns.
A recent lawsuit pushed by the recreational fishing industry that found state regulators haven't managed coastal fisheries in the best interest of all North Carolinians could heap even more pressure on the commercial sector.
'Room for compromise'
Researchers and marine biologists say the moves could take a sledgehammer to decades of moves to protect, enhance and revitalize fisheries and marine life that benefits all Americans − including commercial fishermen.
Of particular concern to many is the fate of the North Atlantic right whale, with an estimated 380 animals remaining after uncontrolled hunting decimated the species a century ago and vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglements in more modern times continue to pose major threats to the whales' recovery.
To help recovery efforts, seasonal speed limits − including off North Carolina − have been enforced for years when the whales are migrating in nearshore waters between their winter calving grounds in the Southeastern U.S. and their summer feeding areas in New England and the Canadian Maritimes. Rules regarding fishing gear in certain areas also have been adopted to try and protect the whales from entanglements, especially in waters off New England.
Schick, the Duke biologist, said he understands concerns fishermen have about being regulated off the water.
"But the science shows these measures work. It's pretty clear on that," he said, noting that vessel strikes and entanglements remain the two biggest threats to right whales. "Having said that, I think there's room for compromise and engagement from both sides on these issues."
Loosening requirements on what types of shrimp vessels are required to have turtle excluder devices, or TEDs, also could hamper recovery efforts for sea turtles. All sea turtle species are either listed as endangered or threatened by the federal government and also receive state protections, including in North Carolina.
Calling NOAA's proposals a "wish list of shortsighted deregulation," Gib Brogan with Oceana said his environmental organization and others will engage with federal regulators as they try to move these ideas from paper to practice.
In a statement, Catherine Kilduff, senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said it doesn't make sense to adopt new rules or scrap existing ones that could lead to long-term damage to the ocean environment just for some short-term economic gains.
"No one wants their seafood with a side of endangered whale, no matter their political affiliation," she said.
Reporter Gareth McGrath can be reached at GMcGrath@usatodayco.com or @GarethMcGrathSN on X/Twitter. This story was produced with financial support from Journalism Funding Partners. The USA TODAY Network maintains full editorial control of the work.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: NOAA proposal could change protections for NC right whales, turtles
