Right Whale Slow Zone

A Right Whale Slow Zone is a NOAA Fisheries voluntary speed-reduction area in US Atlantic waters, asking vessels to slow to 10 knots or less when North Atlantic right whales are detected on underwater acoustic receivers. It is distinct from the mandatory Seasonal Management Areas, where vessels 65 feet and longer must keep to 10 knots in fixed locations and seasons, and from Dynamic Management Areas triggered by visual sightings of three or more whales. The measure cuts the risk of vessel strikes, a leading cause of death for the species, of which fewer than 400 remain. Slowing also lowers fuel burn and emissions through the cubic speed-power relationship.