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New Restrictions to Protect Rare Whale Expected from Group

New Restrictions to Protect Rare Whale Expected from Group

Photo: clipart.com


A group organized by the federal government is expected to release recommendations about how to better protect a vanishing species of whale in the Atlantic Ocean.

The North Atlantic right whale numbers only about 411, and its numbers have fallen by dozens in this decade. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration created the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team to help reduce the injuries and deaths the whales suffer due to entanglement in fishing gear.

The group’s recommendations are expected on Friday . Lobster fishing groups are closely monitoring the team’s discussions, because new rules could mean new restrictions on the lucrative East Coast lobster fishery.

The take reduction group has said it wants to reduce right whale mortalities that are caused by fisheries by more than 60 percent.

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