Only 384 North Atlantic right whales remain.

Each winter, these critically endangered whales migrate to the waters off Georgia’s coast to give birth. Every calf is essential to the species’ survival. At such low numbers, even one preventable ship strike can have lasting consequences.

Since 2008, NOAA has required large vessels to slow down in designated areas where right whales travel and calve. These speed limits were put in place to reduce deadly collisions, one of the leading causes of whale deaths. Scientists and conservation groups say these protections have helped.

Now, the Trump administration is considering weakening those speed rules and replacing them with alternative management areas and emerging technologies that experts say are not yet proven to reliably prevent ship strikes.

North Atlantic right whales have already survived centuries of commercial hunting, entanglement in fishing gear, and modern shipping traffic. In 2017, when protections were lacking in Canadian waters, dozens of whales died or were seriously injured in a single season.

We cannot gamble with the future of a species that numbers only in the hundreds.

We urge President Trump and NOAA to maintain the existing vessel speed limits, require independent scientific review before implementing any changes, and prioritize proven, precautionary protections for these whales.

Georgia’s coastline is one of the last safe calving grounds for this species. Weakening protections now would risk undoing decades of conservation progress.

Sign this petition to demand that the Trump administration protect North Atlantic right whales and keep life-saving ocean speed limits in place.