Many of us who frequent the Jersey Shore see speed motorboats that seem to go faster on water than anyone ever would on land. And speeding boats, especially in areas well off shore, as far out as 100 miles from shore, take little regard for the life in the sea.
The humpback whale that floated in dead onto the shore in Brigantine evidently had been hit by a boat. The necropsy results showed blows to the head on this 32-foot long female who had been otherwise in good health. NOAA Fisheries is asking that boats 35 feet long and longer be limited to 10 knots (11.5 MPH) as far out as 100 miles.
Although 11.5 MPH doesn’t sound very fast, it is when there are whales feeding; now the speed limit only applies to boats 65 feet and longer, but think of how big a 35-foot boat is. They can cause a lot of damage to whales, as was the case with the one that landed on the Shore.
Prayer for the Day
The magnificence and variety of your creation astounds us, O God,
From the small krill to the whales that feed on them;
The sounds of sea animals come to you as a prayer, Holy One,
Asking that we humans respect and protect them.
May we be thoughtful in what we do on the sea,
So that your creatures may live and thrive.
In the name of the One who walked by a seashore,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Is it not curious, that so vast a being as the whale should see the world through so small an eye, and hear the thunder through an ear which is smaller than a hare's?
- Herman Melville, American author (1819-1891)
Ten percent of the big fish still remain. There are some blue whales. There are still some krill in Antarctica. There ar a few oysters in Chesapeake Bay. Half the coral reefs are still in pretty good shape, a jeweled ring around the middle of the planet. There’s still time, but not a lot, to turn things around.
- Sylvia Earle, environmentalist
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements – surely you know! Or stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone
When the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly being shouted for joy?
Job 38: 4-7