> Proposed changes to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) rules will strip access to public waters and devastate local economies along most of the eastern U.S. coastline, according to boating and fishing advocacy groups. > The North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule will decimate the U.S.’s multi-billion-dollar boating and fishing industry without protecting endangered North Atlantic right whales (NARW) from severe injuries and deaths, the Center for Sportfishing Policy (CSP) and the South Carolina Boating and Fishing Alliance (SCBFA) told the Daily Caller. > NOAA’s proposed regulation expands the speed-restricted area, the Seasonal Speed Zone, up to 90 miles out, covering around 50,000 square miles off the U.S. Atlantic coast, including major tourist destinations in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. The coastline speed limit currently only affects vessels 65 feet or longer, but NOAA’s updated rule will mandate speed limits of 10 knots or less for most boats between 35 to 65 feet long, severely impacting safety in the nation’s outdoor recreation sector, warned President and CEO of SCBFA, R. Gettys Brannon.