Safe Boating and Fishing Around Whales.
NOAA reminds boaters and fishermen that fishing too closely to whales is dangerous for you, your passengers, and the whales. Getting too close can result in whales being struck, vessels damaged, and gear loss when whales get entangled or hooked in fishing gear. Additionally, injuring or potentially injuring a whale is a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the federal law that protects all marine mammals from human activity that negatively impacts their ability to live and thrive naturally.
Experienced fishermen don’t troll or cast near feeding whales, because they know tuna aren’t going to get caught up in the bubble clouds or aggregations of feeding whales. These fishermen know that approaching humpback whales* closer than 100-300 feet is not worth the risk. If you happen to hook a whale with your gear or hit one with your boat, report it right away to NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Marine Animal Reporting Hotline: 866-755-NOAA (6622) or to the US Coast Guard.
*North Atlantic right whales are protected by federal regulations that prohibit vessels from approaching within 500 yards (1500 feet) of right whales, with limited exceptions. If a right whale is sighted within the 500-yard buffer, then the vessel must depart the area immediately unless they are a commercial fishing vessel in the act of hauling back gear.
Boat Safe, Fish Safe
Keep your distance, stay alert, and stay safe. For more tips view our Wildlife Viewing website or Safe Boating and Fishing video.
4 on “Safe Boating and Fishing Around Whales.”
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Jeff Shcenle Long live the bullshit commercial fishing industry.
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macka Pretty soon the fish will have more protection than people. As it is we can’t kill sharks because supposedly they are endangered which, is bullshit,but they can kill us . The seals are polluting the clambeds at Monomoy because 100,000 of them are shitting there. Also they blame fishermen and lobstermen for depleting the fish and shellfish. 100000 seals love baby lobsters and striper and all the other gamefis. So a 200lb seal that eats its weight PER DAY of these species,x100,000 seals equal 20,000,000 POUNDS of seafood PER DAY.1000 great whites at about 1000lbs each alco eat their weight perday inseafood and maybe an unknown person or 2 here and there.So who’s shitting who and people are completely unprotected
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Bruce S macka, did you read this article? It isn’t anything about what you said. It’s about staying a safe distance from whales. For your own sake and the sake of the whales.
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Bob Staying clear of whales is a little tricky, even with the best of intentions. They go a long way underwater and can pop up a quarter mile from where they were last sighted. Wish I had a solution for that.
That said, they are incredible to watch. I love to fish, but I would rather watch whales. So I just pull in my lines and stare at them. It may not be everyone’s idea of fun, but for me it is a very powerful experience.
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