New York's New Law Tells Boaters to Watch for Whales

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the New York Whale Awareness Act into law, requiring whale-safety education to be built into existing boater safety courses. The measure, A.8515A/S.2292B, directs the state Department of Environmental Conservation to create guidelines intended to reduce vessel strikes and other hazardous encounters between boats and marine mammals. The law responds to increased whale activity closer to shore, including humpbacks and the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, as cleaner water and rebounding fish populations bring whales back in greater numbers than in decades. The act does not create a separate certification; it integrates collision-prevention practices into training and registration materials already required. Citizens Campaign for the Environment said vessel strikes are whales’ top killer and urges boaters to slow down or cut engines rather than speed toward whales for photos.