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that "All Federal agencies must insure that any activity authorized or funded by the agency is not

likely to jeopardize the continued existence of an endangered species, such as the northern right

whale."⁷⁶Because of vessel activity, engine noise, and wakes, in October 1994, a law was

petitioned that the Northern Right Whale would have a 500 yard protection zone where no

person or vessel could venture.⁷⁷"Now 122 nations have agreed not to harvest the Right Whale.

They also are protected by U.S. federal law, which prohibits the harm and harassment of the

right whale. Several areas in and near Cape Cod and a breeding area off the coasts of Georgia

and Florida have received special protection by being designated a Critical Habitat."^{7 8}

It is

important that not only the United States finds it important to take legal action about the situation

because there are many countries in the northern and southern hemispheres in which these

whales migrate near that can make a significant affect on the growth of the population of these

animals.

It is because of these groups of people taking the actions that they do to be advocates for

the Northern Right Whales and the laws that eventually get passed that soon, hopefully the risk

of entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships, and pollution,^{7 9}

can be reduced and

eventually eliminated to enable this species to populate our oceans as it had 800 years ago.

The history of Northern Right Whales must be studied to better understand this species.

Out of hundreds of thousands of whales in profusion to only a mere three hundred, this

magnificent creature has undergone a traumatic past. The history includes understanding the

76 _{http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/Biodiversity/biodv-}12.cfm?&CFID=7777749&CFTOKEN=67154491. 77 _{http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/Biodiversity/biodv-}12.cfm?&CFID=7777749&CFTOKEN=67154491. 78 _{http://www.wildkingdom.com/conservation/nrw.html.} 79 _{http://www.whoi.edu/media/caswell.release.html.}