Right Whale Migration in an Urban Ocean

Endangered North Atlantic right whales are at heightened risk for vessel strikes because they spend a lot of time at or close to the water surface. Vessel strikes are a primary threat to the species.

Right whales can be very difficult to spot from a boat due to their dark color and lack of a dorsal fin. Environmental conditions like bad weather, poor sea state, murky water, and low light can impact your ability to see these whales.

This visualization illustrates the risk right whales face every day. It shows the migratory path of a 1-year-old right whale satellite-tagged off the Virginia/North Carolina coast in March 2021. The whale (red dot) traveled north along the Mid-Atlantic coast, overlapping with heavy vessel traffic (blue dots) and busy port entrances. In fact, the visualization shows only a portion of the actual vessel traffic—those vessels equipped with Automatic Identification Systems (AIS).

NOAA Fisheries works closely with our partners and stakeholders to further efforts to conserve and rebuild the North Atlantic right whale population, including by using existing management measures and technological innovation and partnerships to help reduce the risk of vessel strikes.

• All Boaters Should Reduce Their Speed to Protect North Atlantic Right Whales
• North Atlantic right whale Road to Recovery

Current Vessel Speed Restrictions

Most vessels 65 feet or longer must travel at 10 knots or less in certain locations (called Seasonal Management Areas) along the U.S. East Coast at certain times of the year. This mandatory regulation reduces the likelihood of deaths and serious injuries to endangered North Atlantic right whales that result from collisions with vessels. Vessels of all sizes can strike a whale, so we encourage vessels less than 65 feet long to help protect right whales by slowing to 10 knots or less within these areas as well.

To monitor compliance with vessel speed regulations, we developed an interactive speed zone dashboard. Users can explore the dashboard to view vessel traffic by speed, season, month, speed zone, and vessel type.

• Compliance Guide (PDF, 2 pages)
• Final rule to eliminate sunset provision on speed restrictions (12/09/13, 78 FR 73726)
• Proposed rule to eliminate sunset provision on speed restrictions (06/06/2013, 78 FR 34024)
• Economic analysis of North Atlantic right whale ship strike reduction rule (2012, PDF 49 pages)
• Final rule to implement speed restrictions (10/10/2008, 73 FR 60173)

Seasonal Management Areas – Northeast

Cape Cod Bay, January 1–May 15

Includes all waters of Cape Cod Bay with Northern Boundary of 42º04’56.5″N, 070º12’W to 42º12’N, 070º12’W then due west back to shore.

Separate from the federal speed regulations in the Cape Cod Bay SMA, Massachusetts state law requires most vessels less than 65 feet to travel at 10 knots or less in the Cape Cod Bay Vessel Speed Restriction Area from March 1 to April 30. In 2025, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) extended speed restrictions through May 15, 2025, due to the continued presence of right whales in Cape Cod Bay. Please visit the Massachusetts DMF website for information on state speed restrictions and advisories.

Off Race Point, March 1–April 30

Waters Bounded by:

42º04’56.5″N, 070º12’W

42º12’N, 070º12’W

42º12’N, 070º30’W

42º30’N, 070º30’W

42º30’N, 069º45’W

41º40’N, 069º45’W then due west back to shore.

Great South Channel, April 1–July 31

Waters Bounded by:

42º30’N, 069º45’W

42º30’N, 067º27’W

42º09’N, 067º08’24″W

41º00’N, 069º05’W

41º40’N, 069º45’W then back to starting point.

Seasonal Management Areas – Mid-Atlantic

Migratory Route and Calving Grounds, November 1–April 30

Block Island Sound waters bounded by:

40º51’53.7″ N 070º36’44.9″ W

41º20’14.1″ N 070º49’44.1″ W

41º04’16.7″ N 071º51’21.0″ W

40º35’56.5″ N 071º38’25.1″ W then back to starting point.

Within a 20-nm (37 km) radius of the following (as measured seaward from the COLREGS lines):

-Ports of New York/New Jersey:

40º29’42.2″N 073º55’57.6″W

-Entrance to the Delaware Bay

(Ports of Philadelphia and Wilmington):

38º52’27.4″N 075º01’32.1″W

-Entrance to the Chesapeake Bay

(Ports of Hampton Roads and Baltimore):

37º00’36.9″N 075º57’50.5″W

-Ports of Morehead City and Beaufort, NC: 34º41’32.0″N 076°40’08.3″W

Within a continuous area 20-nm from shore between Wilmington, North Carolina, to Brunswick, Georgia, bounded by the following:

A- 34º10’30″N, 077º49’12″W

B- 33º56’42″N, 077º31’30″W

C- 33º36’30″N, 077º47’06″W

D- 33º28’24″N, 078º32’30″W

E- 32º59’06″N, 078º50’18″W

F- 31º50’00″N, 080º33’12″W

G- 31º27’00″N, 080º51’36″W

and west back to the shore.

Seasonal Management Areas – Southeast