Sponsored by the late Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), along with Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tom Carpenter (D-DE), the Scientific Assistance for Very Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales Act of 2019 (S.2453), also known as SAVE Right Whales Act, sought to establish “a grant program to promote collaboration between states, nongovernmental organizations, and members of the fishing and shipping industries to reduce human impacts on right whales and promote the recovery of the population.”
The bi-partisan Senate bill, introduced in September 2019, sought to authorize up to $5 million annually from 2019 – 2029 to projects that promote or contribute to the sustainability and recovery of the wild population of North Atlantic right whales through:
- the implementation of conservation programs
- the promotion of cooperative projects with foreign governments, local communities, the fishing industry, the private sector, and NGOs
- the development, testing, and use of innovative technologies
The SAVE Right Whales Act also encouraged the coordination of North Atlantic right whale recovery efforts and projects between the United States and Canadian governments.
“The North Atlantic right whale was named the official Georgia state marine mammal when I served as minority leader in the Georgia State House, and I am proud that my state’s coast is still home to one of the few known calving grounds for this magnificent animal,” Senator Johnny Isakson said in a U.S. Senate press release. “I’m glad to introduce the Scientific Assistance for Very Endangered Right Whales Act to help learn about how we can better protect this important beast whose numbers continue to dwindle.”
The Georgia Conservancy would like to thank the late Senator Isakson for his support of the critically-endangered North Atlantic right whale and for his leadership in sponsoring this important measure.