Sponsors (26)
The bill improves whale-protection tools, rapid monitoring, and targeted grant support that benefit coastal communities and small maritime businesses, at the cost of modest federal spending, administrative constraints on grants, and added NOAA workload with potential gaps where priorities are not selected.
Coastal and state/local governments and maritime operators will get high-accuracy, predictive distribution maps for migratory whale stocks, improving knowledge of whale locations and helping reduce ship strikes and fishing entanglements.
State and local governments will gain near real-time monitoring and mitigation capacity for threatened/endangered cetaceans, enabling faster responses that can prevent lethal interactions and protect public safety and marine life.
Small businesses in fishing and tourism will have access to competitive grants to develop detection technologies and coexistence approaches, supporting innovation and local economic opportunities.
U.S. taxpayers will fund up to $18 million annually plus a $10 million grant pot, increasing federal spending and potentially raising concerns about budget priorities or need for offsets.
Grant eligibility rules requiring distribution to U.S. persons and Foundation administration fees (up to the greater of 5% or $80,000) will limit international collaboration and reduce the portion of funds that reach projects and recipients.
NOAA and partnering agencies and staff may face increased workload from expanded program scope and new reporting/coordination requirements, diverting staff time from other priorities.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes and expands federal mapping, surveying, near‑real‑time monitoring, and a competitive grant program to improve detection and mitigation for migratory whales and other large cetaceans.
Introduced February 3, 2026 by Doris Matsui · Last progress February 3, 2026
Creates and expands a federal program to map, survey, monitor, and develop mitigation and detection tools for migratory whales and other large cetaceans. It directs NOAA to produce high-accuracy distribution and predictive maps, survey understudied whale stocks, stand up a near‑real‑time monitoring and mitigation subprogram for threatened or endangered cetaceans, and creates a competitive grant program run through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for detection technologies and related activities. The bill authorizes specific funding for FY2026–2030, requires regular reporting to Congress, and adds legal definitions and a cross-reference so stock assessments must consider the new distribution maps.