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East Boston boaters can speed up as slow zones expire

A North Atlantic right whale appears at the surface on March 28, 2018, off the coast of Plymouth, Mass. (Michael Dwyer/AP)
A North Atlantic right whale appears at the surface on March 28, 2018, off the coast of Plymouth, Mass. (Michael Dwyer/AP)

Boaters can return to normal velocity off the coast of East Boston beginning on Saturday, as slower speed limit recommendations meant to protect endangered right whales expire.

The area off the coast of East Boston was one of several so-called "slow zones" that are expiring over the next several weeks.

Since whales are always on the move, so are the locations of the slow zones. Surveyors with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration monitor the presence of whales year round. When they are either spotted or heard using acoustic monitoring instruments, new zones are created and implemented for two weeks at a time.

Boaters are encouraged to either avoid these areas or maintain speeds 10 knots or less.

Collisions with vessels are a leading cause of death for North Atlantic right whales, according to NOAA. The agency's estimates suggest there are fewer than 400 of the species are left in the world. It was first listed as an endangered species in 1970, then again in 2008.

Jean Higgins, NOAA Protected Species Conservation branch chief, says accidents happen with boats of all sizes, and slowing down gives the boats and the whales a chance to react.

"We need to give mariners the time to see these whales — they can be hard to see at the surface, "Higgins said. "We also need the whales to have time to react to vessels that might be coming through the area. It might give the whales a little bit of extra time to get out of the way."

A map showing the areas off the eastern seaboard with different designations for right whale whale protections. The yellow shaded areas are the Slow Zones. (Courtesy National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
A map showing the areas off the eastern seaboard with different designations for right whale protection. The yellow shaded areas are the Slow Zones. (Courtesy National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

A second slow zone off the coast of East Boston is set to expire on April 11. This zone was first put in place Feb. 22 and has since been extended.

Other slow zones include two areas outside Martha's Vineyard that are both set to expire on April 8, and an area near Nantucket that will expire on April 11. (See this interactive map for a more precise location of these Slow Zones.)

Boaters can track the presence of whales and slow zones by downloading the Whale Alert app.

Headshot of Stevee Chapman

Stevee Chapman Producer, Morning Edition
Stevee Chapman is a producer for WBUR's Morning Edition.

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