第1986期:Groups Demand Urgent Rules to Protect Whales from Ships

An alliance of environmental groups is calling for new federal rules to protect an endangered whale from crashes with ships. 

一个环保组织联盟正在呼吁制定新的联邦规则，以保护濒临灭绝的鲸鱼免受船只碰撞的影响。 

The groups presented their demands in a document, called a petition, provided to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on September 28. 

这些组织在一份名为请愿书的文件中提出了他们的要求，并于 9 月 28 日提交给美国国家海洋和大气管理局 (NOAA)。 

The action aims to protect the North Atlantic right whale, which has long been considered endangered. The population of these extremely large sea animals has decreased sharply in recent years. Just 340 are believed to be alive today. 

该行动旨在保护长期以来被认为濒临灭绝的北大西洋露脊鲸。近年来，这些巨型海洋动物的数量急剧减少。目前据信只有 340 人还活着。 

Officials at NOAA have said ship collisions are among the most serious threats to the survival of the whale. One rule the environmental groups are calling for would seek to prevent ship strikes by making more ships slow down for whales. NOAA has yet to release a final updated speed rule although it proposed new rules more than a year ago, the groups said. 

美国国家海洋和大气管理局的官员表示，船舶碰撞是对鲸鱼生存最严重的威胁之一。环保组织呼吁制定的一项规则是，通过让更多船只减速捕鲸来防止船只撞击。这些组织表示，尽管美国国家海洋和大气管理局一年多前就提出了新规则，但尚未发布最终更新的速度规则。 

Environmentalists have appealed for urgency in enacting the measure. They say it is important to approve new rules before the upcoming birthing season. At that time of year, the whales migrate hundreds of miles from waters off New England and Canada to areas off the coasts of Florida and Georgia. 

环保人士呼吁尽快颁布这项措施。他们表示，在即将到来的分娩季节之前批准新规则非常重要。每年的这个时候，鲸鱼都会从新英格兰和加拿大附近海域迁徙数百英里，到达佛罗里达州和佐治亚州沿海地区。

“Even one ship strike would bring these whales closer to extinction, but speed limits can help prevent that,” said Kristen Monsell. She is a legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups that prepared the petition to NOAA. “Federal officials can’t sit back and do nothing while right whales are in danger," Monsell told The Associated Press. 

克里斯汀·蒙塞尔说：“即使是一次船只撞击也会使这些鲸鱼濒临灭绝，但速度限制可以帮助防止这种情况发生。” 她是生物多样性中心的法律主任，该中心是向 NOAA 准备请愿书的组织之一。蒙塞尔告诉美联社：“当露脊鲸面临危险时，联邦官员不能袖手旁观。” 

Katie Wagner is a spokesperson for NOAA. She said she expects the agency to announce its final action on the proposed rule sometime this year. That means the rule could be publicized during the middle of calving season and may not be put into effect until even later. 

凯蒂·瓦格纳是 NOAA 的发言人。她说，她预计该机构将在今年某个时候宣布针对拟议规则的最终行动。这意味着该规则可能会在产犊季节中期公布，并且可能要到更晚的时候才会生效。

Wagner said NOAA knows about the petition but has a policy not to comment on legal matters. The agency is considering expanding “slow zones” off the U.S. East Coast, and also requiring more ships to obey those rules.

瓦格纳表示，美国国家海洋和大气管理局知道该请愿书，但有一项政策，不对法律问题发表评论。该机构正在考虑扩大美国东海岸的“慢区”，并要求更多船只遵守这些规则。 

NOAA denied a request from environmentalists last year to immediately put new rules in place. At the time, the agency said in public documents that it was considering “long-term, substantive" measures to reduce whale strikes by ships. Wagner said NOAA received more than 90,000 comments on the proposed rule and would use those to decide on its final action. 

美国国家海洋和大气管理局(NOAA)去年拒绝了环保人士要求立即实施新规定的请求。当时，该机构在公开文件中表示，正在考虑采取“长期、实质性”措施来减少船只对鲸鱼的撞击。瓦格纳表示，NOAA 收到了超过 90,000 条关于拟议规则的评论，并将根据这些评论来决定其最终规则。行动。 

Right whales were once common off the U.S. East Coast. But the animals fell in numbers after years of heavy hunting activities. The whales have long been protected under the Endangered Species Act. 

露脊鲸曾经在美国东海岸很常见。但经过多年的大量狩猎活动，这些动物的数量有所下降。鲸鱼长期以来一直受到《濒危物种法》的保护。 

Right whales are also at risk of becoming accidentally entangled in fishing equipment. Proposed restrictions to prevent such entanglements have been the subject of a legal case between the federal government and fishermen. 

露脊鲸还面临着意外被捕鱼设备缠住的风险。为防止此类纠缠而提出的限制措施已成为联邦政府与渔民之间法律案件的主题。

Groups Demand Urgent Rules to Protect Whales from Ships,VOA英语每日一听,4分钟