John Kerry: “as Chairman of the Oceans, Atmosphere and Fisheries Subcommittee, I rise today to introduce the North Atlantic Right…”

“as Chairman of the Oceans, Atmosphere and Fisheries Subcommittee, I rise today to introduce the North Atlantic Right Whale Recovery Act of 2001. I am pleased to be joined by our Commerce Committee Chairman, Senator Hollings in this effort. This bill is designed to improve the management and research activities for right whales and increase the focus on reducing mortality caused by ship collisions, entanglement in fishing gear, and other causes. The most endangered of the great whales, the northern Atlantic right whale has shown no evidence of recovery since the whaling days of the 1900s despite full protection from hunting by a League of Nations agreement since 1935. Today the population of North Atlantic Right Whales remains at less than 350 animals, although 2001 was a banner year for reproduction as over 30 calves were born. The entire Nation has watched with great interest as a team of experts from a number of organizations including the National Marine Fisheries Service, the New England Aquarium and the Center for Coastal Studies has sought to remove the nylon rope that is imbedded in the jaw of a North Atlantic Right Whale, dubbed ``Churchill''. By all accounts, unless the rope is removed the whale is likely to die from infections that are already discoloring the whale's skin.”