The federal government has issued new ship navigation rules to protect endangered northern right whales from collisions with vessels along the Easy Coast.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's rules requires large ships to reduce speeds to ten knots in areas where the whales feed and reproduce, as well as along migratory routes in between.

There are only 300 to 400 North Atlantic right whales in existence and they tend to swim slowly and feed at the surface as they migrate up and down the coast across busy shipping lanes. Other rules have been adopted in an effort to protect the whales from getting entangled in fishing gear.

The rules will go into effect in early December and must be renewed after five years.

The 10-knot speed restrictions will extend out to 20 nautical miles around major ports. The rules also establishes temporary voluntary speed limits in other areas when an aggregation of three or more right whales is confirmed.

For more information go to http://www.nero.noaa.gov/shipstrike/.

The Humane Society of the United States and Defenders of Wildlife applauded the new rules, but said the scheduled phase out of the speed limits still poses a long term threat.