Pallone Announces $679,000 for Pioneering Right Whale Recovery Efforts in New Jersey

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today announced $679,000 will be awarded by the Biden-Harris Administration to the Flammang Lab at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) to fund research aimed at protecting the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. This grant is part of a larger $9.7 million announcement that comes from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) focused on the recovery of this imperiled species.

As a principal author of the Inflation Reduction Act, Pallone fought to secure $82 million for advanced whale monitoring and conservation technologies. The $679,000 grant to NJIT will advance a non-invasive tag attachment technology based on the way other marine life attaches to the North Atlantic right whale to support monitoring of the species. This initiative is further supported by an additional $6.9 million directed to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which is working with the fishing industry to test innovative gear designed to reduce the risk of whale entanglements—a leading cause of mortality for this critically endangered species.

“The Inflation Reduction Act was a unique opportunity to make lasting investments in our planet’s future, and safeguarding the North Atlantic right whale is a vital part of that effort. That’s why I fought to direct this funding to saving this iconic species. The grant to NJIT is more than just financial support—it’s a lifeline for a species on the edge of extinction. I’m proud that New Jersey is at the forefront of this critical work, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to protecting biodiversity for future generations,” said Pallone.

"We are incredibly proud of the work Professor Brooke Flammang is doing at NJIT," said NJIT President Teik C. Lim. "Her research, with her team, positively affects our world and integrates comparative anatomy and physiology, biomechanics, fluid dynamics and biologically inspired robotic devices to investigate ways in which organisms interact with their environment."

Pallone’s announcement comes on the heels of a series of decisive actions he has taken to protect the right whale. On April 15, 2024, following the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse, Pallone led a coalition of lawmakers in urging federal agencies to enforce vessel speed restrictions to protect right whales from increased maritime traffic. Earlier, on February 29, 2024, he took a stand in Congress, urging leaders to block legislation that would hinder NOAA's ability to update critical protections for the species. There are currently approximately 360 North Atlantic right whale individuals remaining, including fewer than 70 reproductively active females. NOAA declared an Unusual Mortality Event in 2017.