Animal Counsel
AdvocacySupport
Maintain endangered status
Maintain esa protections for rices whales
Maintain endangered listing
FR Notice Initiation of a Status Review for the Rice’s Whale and Request for Information
NOAA-NMFS-2026-1222-0001Notice
Comments
13,482
Last activity Jul 6, 2026
Deadline
Closed on Jul 7, 2026
Closed Jul 7, 2026
Net supportiSupport minus oppose · campaigns included
+69%
+97% excluding campaigns
Document
Details
The document's own metadata, straight from the source system.
- Title
- FR Notice Initiation of a Status Review for the Rice’s Whale and Request for Information
- Posted
- May 5, 2026
- Comment period
- May 5, 2026 – Jul 7, 2026
Analysis
Overview
What the public is saying — stance, who's commenting, and the issues they raise.
Include campaigns
Stance breakdown
+69%
Net support
Support11,353Oppose2,094Other35
Aggregates include form-letter campaigns. Excluding them, net support is +97% across organic comments.
Who commented
Breakdown by commenter type.
Individual
13,415
Government
1
Trade association
1
Advocacy
22
Academic
7
Business
1
Other
35
Comments over time
Weekly arrivals, stacked by stance.
Posted May 5, 2026Deadline Jul 7, 2026
May 11May 25Jun 8Jun 22Jul 6
Support11,353Oppose2,094Other35
Support × commenter type
How each type splits across stance.
Support
Oppose
Other
Individual
84%
16%
0%
Other
91%
0%
9%
Advocacy
91%
9%
0%
Academic
71%
14%
14%
Trade association
0%
100%
0%
Business
100%
0%
0%
Government
100%
0%
0%
Issues raised
The docket's canonical issues. Select one to browse its comments.
Esa protection for rices whales6,495
Rice's whale habitat protection6,314
Esa status and protection6,289
Maintain endangered status6,142
Rice's whale conservation5,973
Whale conservation and protection171
Whale conservation138
Whale protection120
Vessel strike risks86
Maintain esa protections for rices whales84
Position map
Who stands where on each issue?
Every non-silent position is backed by an excerpt from the comment.
Issues shown
Uncheck an issue to choose another.
| Organization | Maintain endangered status | Maintain esa protections for rices whales | Maintain endangered listing | Esa protection for rices whales | Maintain esa protections for rice's whales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Animal Counsel AdvocacySupport Aidan Bodeo-Lomicky, writing on behalf of the nonprofit Animal Counsel, urges the NMFS to reaffirm the Rice’s whale's en | · | · | |||
API, EnerGeo Alliance, LMOGA, NOIA and OOC Trade associationOppose A coalition of oil and gas trade associations opposes the Rice's whale listing, arguing that the NMFS failed to follow p | · | · | · | · | · |
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP) GovernmentSupport Michael D. | · | · | · | ||
Captain Paul Watson Foundation Chapter for Chicago and Illinois AdvocacySupport The Captain Paul Watson Foundation (CPWF) Chapter for Chicago and Illinois urges the NMFS and NOAA to maintain the Rice’ | · | · | · | · | |
Earthjustice AdvocacySupport Alisha Wadhwa, a Digital Advocacy Intern, submitted a comment on behalf of 1,255 individuals urging the National Marine | · | · | · | · | |
Louisiana Wildlife Federation and National Wildlife Federation AdvocacySupport The Louisiana Wildlife Federation and the National Wildlife Federation argue that the Rice's whale is a distinct biologi | · | · | |||
National Ocean Policy Coalition AdvocacySupport The National Ocean Policy Coalition argues that the Rice’s whale should not be considered a distinct species and that it | · | · | · | · | · |
Prairie Hills Audubon Society AdvocacySupport The Prairie Hills Audubon Society, a volunteer-run nonprofit conservation organization, argues that the Rice’s whale sho | · | · | · | ||
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) AdvocacySupport Kyla Bennett, representing Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, argues that the Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera | · | · | |||
SAVE WHALES AdvocacySupport SAVE WHALES argues that Rice's whales are a unique species that warrant continued and strengthened protections under the | · | · | · | ||
Sierra Club Florida AdvocacySupport Sierra Club Florida, representing its members and supporters, urges NOAA Fisheries to maintain full Endangered Species A | · | · | · | ||
The Marine Mammal Center AdvocacyOppose Cecily Majerus, CEO of The Marine Mammal Center, opposes the initiation of a status review for the Rice’s whale. | · | · | |||
Viking Marine Group BusinessSupport Viking Marine Group, a manufacturer of recreational vessels, supports the status review of the Rice's whale while advoca | · | · | · | · | · |
API, EnerGeo Alliance, LMOGA, NOIA and OOC
Trade associationOppose
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP)
GovernmentSupport
Maintain endangered status
Maintain esa protections for rices whales
Captain Paul Watson Foundation Chapter for Chicago and Illinois
AdvocacySupport
Maintain endangered listing
Earthjustice
AdvocacySupport
Esa protection for rices whales
Louisiana Wildlife Federation and National Wildlife Federation
AdvocacySupport
Maintain endangered status
Maintain esa protections for rices whales
Maintain endangered listing
National Ocean Policy Coalition
AdvocacySupport
Prairie Hills Audubon Society
AdvocacySupport
Maintain endangered status
Maintain esa protections for rice's whales
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER)
AdvocacySupport
Maintain endangered status
Maintain esa protections for rices whales
Maintain esa protections for rice's whales
SAVE WHALES
AdvocacySupport
Maintain endangered status
Esa protection for rices whales
Sierra Club Florida
AdvocacySupport
Maintain endangered status
Esa protection for rices whales
The Marine Mammal Center
AdvocacyOppose
Maintain endangered status
Maintain esa protections for rices whales
Maintain endangered listing
Viking Marine Group
BusinessSupport
1 organization-typed comment could not be identified.
Form letters
Campaigns
Organized form-letter drives, separated from organic one-off comments.
50%of comments arrived through a form-letter campaign — 6,715 of 13,482 comments. 6,657 are organic, and 110 are still being processed for campaign detection.
Campaign6,715Organic6,657Not yet determined110
Comments
Explorer
Every mirrored comment — filter by stance, campaign, or issue.
Filter:
- Jul 5, 2026American Cetacean SocietySupportOther
The commenter advocates for maintaining and strengthening protections for the Rice's whale under the Endangered Species Act. They argue that the species faces insurmountable risks from vessel strikes, noise, oil spill effects, and fisheries interactions, and that robust protections are necessary for the species' survival and the health of the Gulf ecosystem.
Read comment → - Jul 6, 2026Deidre ModerackiSupportIndividualRead comment →
- Jul 6, 2026Joe AdamsSupportIndividual
The commenter supports the protection of Rice's Whales under the Endangered Species Act, arguing that preserving biological diversity is essential for safety and prosperity. They urge the agency to take necessary actions to prevent the species from going extinct.
Read comment → - Jul 6, 2026Lena BravoSupportIndividualRead comment →
- Jul 6, 2026Shannon SchetgenSupportIndividual
An individual is writing to express support for the protection of the Rice's whale. The commenter argues that protecting the species is essential to preventing the collapse of nature and criticizes the prioritization of short-term energy fixes over long-term environmental health.
Read comment → - Jul 6, 2026Orchid labellumOpposeIndividual
The commenter, identifying as a child and an activist, opposes the removal of protections for the Rice's whale. They argue that the species is unique, ecologically significant for carbon sequestration, and vulnerable to threats from oil operations and plastic pollution.
Read comment → - Jul 6, 2026Anonymous AnonymousSupportIndividualRead comment →
- Jul 6, 2026STACY BOONESupportIndividual
The commenter supports the status review and the maintenance of Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for the Rice's Whale. They argue that the species is critically endangered and that any reduction in protections would be a politically motivated move to favor the fossil fuel and extraction industries.
Read comment → - Jul 6, 2026Oindrila MondalSupportIndividualRead comment →
- Jul 6, 2026Alisa BashSupportIndividualRead comment →