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CEC Publishes Factual Record on the Effective Enforcement of Environmental Law Regarding the North Atlantic Right Whale Submission

Tiohtià:ke (Montreal), 6 January 2026—On 19 December 2025, the Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) published the factual record regarding submission SEM-21-003 (North Atlantic right whale) filed by Oceana (“Submitter”), who asserted that the United States is failing to effectively enforce its environmental laws to protect the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) from collisions with ships, known as “vessel strikes,” and from entanglement in commercial fishing gear.

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North Atlantic right whale

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North Atlantic Right Whale

Factual Record Regarding Submission SEM-21-003

May 5, 2025 214 pages

This factual record addresses assertions from submission SEM-21-003, concerning the endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis), as authorized by the CEC Council members in Council Resolution 25-01. This factual record was prepared by the CEC Secretariat pursuant to Article 24.28(5) of the USMCA/CUSMA, following a submission alleging that the United States is failing to effectively enforce its environmental laws.

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