Sail Commons
NOAA right whale speed rule: 10-knot limit covers most vessels 65 feet and up, review launched
Why this matters: our read
A proposed rule sets terms for public comment, while the 2026 review only asks what information NOAA should consider, so the two steps should not be confused.
NOAA Fisheries says a federal rule in place since 2008 requires most vessels 65 feet or longer to slow to 10 knots (nautical miles per hour) in Seasonal Management Areas, zones on the US East Coast that apply in set seasons. The federal limit does not cover boats under 65 feet. NOAA Fisheries asks those smaller boats to slow down in the zones voluntarily, and notes that Massachusetts state law requires most vessels under 65 feet to stay under 10 knots in Cape Cod Bay from March 1 to April 30.
NOAA proposed in 2022 to extend the limit to recreational boats over 35 feet, and withdrew the proposal in January 2025 after about 90,000 comments, Yachting reported.
On March 4, 2026, NOAA launched an early-stage review with an advance notice of proposed rulemaking, a request for information before any rule is proposed, on modernizing the 2008 rule. Comments closed June 2, 2026, and as of November 1 we found no proposed rule.
Sources
- Published by
- NOAA Fisheries
- Role
- Primary source
- Item
- Reducing vessel strikes to North Atlantic right whales
- Published by
- NOAA Fisheries
- Role
- Primary source
- Item
- NOAA seeks information to support improvements to vessel speed regulations
- Published
- Published by
- Yachting
- Role
- Secondary source
- Item
- NOAA right whale speed restriction withdrawn
- Published