COMMANDANT INSTRUCTION 16214.3
10. REPORT DATA. All data from ship reports will be stored in the MSR database. Access to
the database will be restricted to authorized Coast Guard and National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) personnel. Headquarters staff will use the data to track MSR compliance and
the NMFS will use the data to analyze vessel traffic within right whale critical habitats. A
version of the database, scrubbed of vessel names and call signs, will be made available to the
public by the NMFS.
11. RECEIVING REPORTS. CAMSLANT has been designated the primary facility to receive
reports from vessels that use non-satellite communication methods. When a vessel contacts
CAMSLANT to make an MSR report, CAMSLANT will receive the data in the prescribed
format and supply a reply message to the vessel. Reply messages will be provided daily by the
contractor. Following transmittal of the reply message, CAMSLANT will forward the ship
report to the MSR database via e-mail. Reports shall be sent to: RightWhale.MSR@noaa.gov.
As stated earlier, the Coast Guard cannot legally mandate which communication method a
vessel will use. Because of this, vessels reporting into the MSR may contact units other than
CAMSLANT. If this occurs, take the report and provide the following reply:
You are entering essential habitat for the endangered northern right whale. The right
whale is vulnerable to being hit by ships and may not avoid approaching vessels.
Collisions can damage vessels. Exercise prudent seamanship and advance planning to
avoid right whales. Assume any whale sighted is a right whale. Monitor USCG
Broadcast Notice to Mariners, NAVTEX, and NOAA Weather Radio for latest advisories
and sightings. Consult US Coast Pilots and Notices to Mariners for ways to avoid hitting
right whales and applicable regulations. Right whale critical habitats are marked on
recently updated charts. Right whale information is available from shipping agents and
port authorities. Please report all struck, dead or entangled whales immediately to the
USCG on VHF Channel 16.
After sending the reply, the unit shall forward the ship report information to CAMSLANT for
entry into the database.
12. REPLY MESSAGE. The following is a sample of the automatic reply message that ships
will receive upon reporting into either of the two areas via INMARSAT C or telex. Reply
messages warn mariners about the plight of the northern right whale, list additional sources for
right whale information, and provide right whale location information. The NMFS will
automatically update reply messages based on surveillance flights and other right whale
sighting reports. The contractor will forward a copy of the reply messages to CAMSLANT
daily. Reply messages will vary slightly depending on the reporting area.
Northeast Reporting Area (Sample Reply Message)
You are entering essential habitat for North Atlantic right whales. The species is
critically endangered and vulnerable to being hit by ships; whales may not avoid
approaching ships. Collisions can damage sonar domes, propellers or shafts. Exercise
prudent seamanship and advance planning to avoid right whales. Assume any whale
sighted is a right whale. Monitor USCG Broadcast Notice to Mariners, NAVTEX, NOAA
Weather Radio, Cape Cod Canal Vessel Traffic Control and Bay of Fundy Vessel Traffic
Control for latest advisories and sightings. Consult NAVTEX, INMARSAT C SafetyNET,
US Coast Pilots, and Notices to Mariners for ways to avoid hitting right whales and
applicable regulations. Right whale critical habitats and Stellwagen Bank Marine
Sanctuary are marked on recently updated charts.
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