OCEAN CITY, Md. - Recent sightings of right whales off the coast of Ocean City have led the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries to prolong the enforcement of a slow zone in the area. The NOAA Fisheries has extended this precautionary measure at least five times, aiming to safeguard these endangered marine mammals. The current extension of the slow zone is set to expire on March 29th. Under the extended slow zone regulations, any vessel measuring 65 feet or longer is required to travel at speeds of 10 knots or less.
Mark Malamphy, a local fisherman, expressed his concerns regarding the repeated extensions, stating, "if they go to extend this one more time, it definitely would affect a lot of us trying to get out to where the fish are and to earn some money and make some money with our charter boats."
Despite concerns about the impact of the slow zone on fishing activities, Guy Sosnowski, another local boater, believes that larger vessels traveling at speeds of 8 to 10 knots is sufficient. He noted, "none of these commercial boats you're looking at in the harbor really go that fast. So I don't think it would bother them at all. I mean, if they do eight or ten knots, that's doing pretty good."
With the uncertainty surrounding the movement of right whales, the NOAA Fisheries could extend the slow zone again by the end of March. Boaters who are gearing up for the fishing season in April are hopeful that March 29th marks the end of the slow zone's enforcement.