A NOAA whale-strike reduction rule awaiting final White House approval would render a $286 million blow to Nantucket’s economy by slowing essential ferry traffic between the island community and mainland Massachusetts from November to May, according to an economic analysis from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
The study by the university’s Donahue Institute for Economic and Public Policy Research found that the popular tourist island south of Cape Cod could lose up to 1,500 jobs due to the rule’s implementation by effectively eliminating fast-ferry services that “are the primary mode of passenger travel to Nantucket.” The study was commissioned by the island’s government.
A current ferry commute of between 45 and 60 minutes would extend as much as 2 ½ hours, the study found, effectively reducing the number of daily round trips available to visitors and workers traveling between Nantucket and Hyannis on the mainland. The analysis further estimates that approximately $94.5 million of inbound trade could be compromised by slower vessel speed limits between November and May.
The vessel-strike reduction rule, which remains under review by the White House, would require that vessels 35 feet or more in length adhere to a 10-knot speed limit when traveling through seasonal North Atlantic right whale areas. The speed limits already apply to vessels 65 feet or longer.
