In a protected sanctuary in the Mediterranean, a sperm whale rose to the surface and researchers spotted a mark on its tail. A scientist on board said it was probably caused by a ship strike. Sperm and fin whales in the Mediterranean are endangered, and collisions with ships are a leading human-caused cause of death.
Sign the petition urging the International Maritime Organization and the governments of Spain, France, Italy, and Monaco to make the speed limit in this whale habitat mandatory and to enforce it.
The science is simple. A ship traveling at 15 knots, about 17 miles per hour, or faster almost always kills a whale it hits. In 2023, the IMO asked large ships to slow to 10 to 13 knots in this area, but only as a request. And, the data shows this suggested limit is mostly ignored. Officials have recorded one collision and five near misses since 2023, and they believe most strikes go unrecorded. As one ferry captain put it, "As long as it's only a recommendation, nobody will reduce speed."
This waterway is home to about two-thirds of the Mediterranean's fin whales and more than a fifth of its sperm whales. Shipping companies say slowing down has costs, including schedules and lost passengers. That is exactly why the rule has to be mandatory. A binding speed limit would apply to every operator, so no company would be punished for doing the right thing, and no whale would be left to depend on a company's goodwill.
A speed limit that no one has to follow cannot protect an endangered whale.
Sign the petition and demand a mandatory, enforced speed limit to protect the whales of the Mediterranean.
