Bill > S02292

This bill, known as the "whale awareness act," directs the department of environmental conservation to create recommendations and educational materials aimed at reducing interactions between marine mammals and vessels, defining such interactions as actions that could injure or disturb marine mammals by disrupting their natural behaviors like migration or feeding. The department will collaborate with various agencies, including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to develop these materials, which will be made publicly available online and distributed to owners of party and charter boats, individuals taking boating safety courses, and, starting December 31, 2028, to all registered vessel owners in specific counties. Additionally, the bill amends existing laws to integrate these marine mammal interaction prevention materials into boating safety programs and vessel registration processes.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S2292