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After over a million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico in November, one environmental advocate is raising concern for one of the most endangered whales in the world.
In 2021, scientists discovered the Rice’s Whale, the only resident baleen whale in the Gulf of Mexico.
“To discover a brand new species is amazing at this time in history. But then also, to find out that there’s only less than 100, some estimates say less than 50, and they only live in the Northeastern Gulf waters – these type of whales don’t usually like warm, tropical waters – but they do, so it was a new and exciting discovery.”
So When Mia McCormick, advocate with Environment Florida, heard about the November oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, she was concerned.
“We saw over a million gallons spill into the gulf off of the coast of Louisiana, and it did overlap with some of the habitat that the Rice’s Whale live in.”
The effects on the whale after this oil spill are currently unknown, but McCormick is calling for protections.
“So ultimately, we need to stop oil and gas leasing in the Gulf of Mexico, but in the meantime, we should start by restricting leasing activity and require reduced vessel speeds in the Rice’s Whale habitat specifically, so we can lower the risk of deadly strikes.”
In October, NOAA fisheries denied a vessel speed limit and other protections for the endangered whale. Despite this, McCormick encourages those concerned to write their legislators.
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