Right Whale Slow Zone in Effect East of Ocean City Through Feb. 17
February 3, 2026/
Image courtesy NOAA
The Ocean City buoy operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science detected the presence of right whales east of Ocean City on Monday.
The right whale Slow Zone is now in effect through February 17th. There is one other Slow Zone currently in effect regionally – northeast of Virginia Beach, which expires on February 11th.Â
A slow zone means that mariners should avoid or transit at 10 knots or less where right whales have been detected.
East of Ocean City, MD Acoustic Slow Zone: Effective February 2 – 17, 2026
Waters bounded by:
NORTHERN BOUNDARY: 38°34′ N
SOUTHERN BOUNDARY: 38°03′ N
EASTERN BOUNDARY: 74°19′ W
WESTERN BOUNDARY: 74°58’ W