VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Boaters venturing near Virginia Beach should be prepared to slow down in some areas offshore amid recent whale sightings.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Rudee Flipper Dolphin and Whale Watching alerted boaters to a Right Whale Slow Zone requiring marine vessels to travel at 10 knots or less. The slow zone is in effect until June 6.
The slow zone off the Virginia Beach shore was prompted by multiple sightings of North Atlantic right whales, which are endangered. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) interactive map, there were five sightings of multiple right whales on Saturday, May 25.
The NOAA estimates there are less than 350 right whales remaining. Since vessel collisions are one of the main threats whales face, the NOAA said it was forced to implement Right Whale Slow Zones.
"Under this campaign, we map and provide coordinates to areas where right whales were detected (i.e., visually sighted or acoustically detected)," according to the NOAA website. "Following a right whale detection, a visually-triggered Slow Zone (a.k.a. DMA) or acoustically-triggered Slow Zone will remain in effect for 15 days. During this time, mariners are requested to avoid the areas or slow all vessels to 10 knots or less to prevent collisions with right whales."
For the latest on Right Whale Slow Zones, the NOAA encourages boaters to sign up for email or text notifications here.