Gloucester Daily Times: Markey pushes for $5M in grants to save right whales
U.S. Sen. Edward Markey is co-sponsoring Senate legislation mandating the U.S. Department of Commerce appropriate $5 million in grants annually over the next decade to help rebuild the populations of the imperiled North Atlantic right whales.
The Senate bill co-sponsored by Markey and other senators closely mirrors a bill U.S. Rep Seth Moulton has filed as a primary sponsor in the House of Representatives.
If voted into law, the legislation would require the U.S. commerce secretary to provide competitive grants for projects aimed at the conservation of the endangered right whales. Marine scientists estimate there are fewer than 450 of the marine mammals left alive.
Both the House and Senate bills carry a non-federal matching requirement of 25 percent for successful applicants. They also authorize in-kind contributions as part of the matching requirement.
“The North Atlantic right whale is in crisis, and a unified effort along the entire extent of its range is needed to prevent the extinction of this treasured species,” Markey said in a prepared statement. “Right whales are an iconic and integral part of our marine heritage in Massachusetts. We must vow not to repeat our history, when, generations ago, the right whale was hunted to near extinction. With the support of political leaders, fishermen, lobstermen, and the environmental and conservation communities, we can help the right whale recover and flourish again in our waters.”
Both bills are supported by the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, the New England Aquarium, the Cape Cod Fishermen’s Alliance and a slew of conservation and environmental groups.
