NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Environmental groups are asking for a speed limit for ships in part of the Gulf of Mexico south of the Florida Panhandle to protect the few remaining endangered whales there.
The groups are seeking a speed limit of 10 knots or just over 11 mph for an area covering about 11,500 square miles off of Florida and Alabama.
They also want all nighttime ship traffic to detour around that core habitat.
There are fewer than 100 of the whales, which were classified in January as a new species. Shipping interests did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the proposal.
