Effective July 1st, the ship traffic lanes that approach Boston Harbor have been shifted. The intent is to reduce the risk of collision between ships and whales. The lanes have been rotated slightly to the northeast and narrowed to avoid waters where there are high concentrations of whales. This action is a result of a joint effort and co-operaon of NOAA and the Coast Guard.
Congressman Stephen F. Lynch, who represents the Port of Boston, said, "It is an extraordinary challenge to balance the commercial needs of the Port of Boston with the importance of protecting marine life and the environment, and the Coast Guard and NOAA are doing a remarkable job. It is critical that we maintain a viable working port, while also preserving the natural habitats and sea lanes used by whales--notably, the Northern right whale. We will continue to monitor the situation going forward to ensure that our policies move us closer to both of those goals."
For a full copy of the joint press release click HERE . Accordining to the Local Notice to Mariners, charts showing the changes should be available from Ocean Grafix and NOS raster charts from NOAA
Congressman Stephen F. Lynch, who represents the Port of Boston, said, "It is an extraordinary challenge to balance the commercial needs of the Port of Boston with the importance of protecting marine life and the environment, and the Coast Guard and NOAA are doing a remarkable job. It is critical that we maintain a viable working port, while also preserving the natural habitats and sea lanes used by whales--notably, the Northern right whale. We will continue to monitor the situation going forward to ensure that our policies move us closer to both of those goals."
For a full copy of the joint press release click HERE . Accordining to the Local Notice to Mariners, charts showing the changes should be available from Ocean Grafix and NOS raster charts from NOAA
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