Industry Groups Meet with White House to Request Withdrawal of Vessel Strike Reduction Rule

In a meeting with the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) and the Association of Marina Industries (AMI) formally requested the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) withdraw its proposed amendments to the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule. The associations advocated for reopening the docket to gather additional public comments on alternative measures that effectively mitigate whale strikes without compromising boater safety and the coastal economy.

In a letter addressed to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and in comments during the meeting itself, MRAA and AMI emphasized the significant detrimental impact the proposed rule would have on the recreational boating and fishing industry, with a particular focus on marine retailers and marinas. The current rule proposes a 10-knot speed restriction for vessels, a measure that both associations argue is not only ineffective but also poses substantial safety risks and economic burdens.

“The proposed 10-knot speed limit severely underestimates the economic impact on small businesses and the broader coastal economy,” stated Mike Sayre, MRAA Director of Government Relations. “Our survey indicates that the rule could result in an annual economic loss exceeding $2 billion for marine dealers, brokers and marinas along the Atlantic coast. This is far greater than the $46 million impact estimated by NMFS and our survey doesn’t consider the impact on marine manufacturers, the recreational fishing industry, nor the coastal communities that rely on boaters as an economic driver.”

During the meeting, the associations presented survey data showing potential losses in sales, services and dockage revenues, emphasizing that many recreational and commercial boating activities would become untenable under the proposed rule. Furthermore, the associations also highlighted shortcomings with NMFS’s initial economic impact assessment and urged that NMFS expand its analysis to better consider the impact on marine retailers and marinas.

NMFS’s initial estimate that this rule would result in an economic impact of only $46 million per year was based solely on its estimate of “delayed transit hours” for impacted vessels, which completely ignores the impacts to MRAA and AMI members. Unfortunately, this is an estimate of only a single and likely the smallest facet of the vast economic impact of the proposed rule, and our associations are demanding that NOAA re-do their Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) to capture the impact more accurately for our members.