{"id":319674,"date":"2026-08-12T18:10:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T18:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/319674\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T18:10:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T18:10:14","slug":"new-state-law-adds-whale-safety-education-for-ny-boaters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/319674\/","title":{"rendered":"New State Law Adds Whale Safety Education for NY Boaters"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York boaters will receive more guidance on how to safely navigate around whales<\/a> under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.<\/p>\n

The New York Whale Awareness Act, signed Aug. 10, directs the state Department of Environmental Conservation to develop educational guidelines and materials aimed at reducing interactions between vessels and marine mammals and preventing vessel strikes. The information will be incorporated into existing boater safety courses and vessel registration materials.<\/p>\n

The legislation comes as whale sightings have increased along the coastlines of New York State.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is something truly special about seeing whales breaching just off our shores,\u201d East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez<\/a> said. \u201cIt reminds us how fortunate we are to call East Hampton home, and how important it is that we care for the waters we share.\u201d<\/p>\n

The law is intended to provide boaters with information about safely sharing the water with whales, including humpback whales and the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur culture, our heritage, and our livelihoods are intertwined with the Atlantic Ocean,\u201d Suffolk County Legislator Ann Welker said. \u201cThis legislation providing education and awareness on marine safety and interaction with marine life will benefit our communities as we learn better ways to share, protect, and live with our natural environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Montauk, where whale sightings have become increasingly familiar, the law also drew support from local organizations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhales are an essential part of our marine ecosystem and a powerful reminder of the richness and resilience of our coastal waters,\u201d said Kay Tyler, executive director of Concerned Citizens of Montauk. \u201cIn Montauk, where whale sightings have become a special part of our community\u2019s character, we have a shared responsibility to protect these magnificent animals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Montauk Chamber of Commerce President Leo Daunt said the community has seen both the return of marine life and the need to protect it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMontauk\u2019s identity, economy, and way of life have always been tied to the ocean,\u201d Daunt said. \u201cAs one of New York\u2019s premier fishing and whale-watching communities, we see firsthand both the incredible resurgence of marine life in our waters and the responsibility we have to protect it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hochul said the increase in whales also presents risks in heavily traveled waters.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew York\u2019s ocean waters are cleaner and more vibrant than they have been in decades, drawing extraordinary marine life back to our shores,\u201d Hochul said. \u201cHowever, a higher concentration of whales navigating one of the busiest regions in the country creates serious risks for both boaters and marine mammal populations.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York boaters will receive more guidance on how to safely navigate around whales under a new law…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":319675,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9,11,10,49,51,50],"class_list":["post-319674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-new-york-state","tag-new-york-state-headlines","tag-new-york-state-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=319674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319674\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/319675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=319674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=319674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}