; (8) in August 2017, the National Marine Fisheries Service announced an Unusual Mortality Event involving North Atlantic right whales in 2017, with 17 known whale deaths that year alone; (9) an Unusual Mortality Event involves a significant die-off of a population and, according to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 ( 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), demands an immediate response; (10) no North Atlantic right whale calves were observed during the 2017–2018 calving season off the southeastern coast of the United States; (11) based on the current rate of mortality of North Atlantic right whales, and because of the small number of breeding females in the population and low birth rates, recent analysis suggests the species will lose its ability to recover in less than 20 years if human-caused mortality is not reduced immediately; (12) under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 ( 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), United States fishermen in certain locations have been required to modify their fishing gear and behavior to minimize the likelihood of entanglements, including by using sinking groundlines, having weak links in buoy lines, using multiple traps per buoy, appropriately marking fishing gear, and complying with area closures during North Atlantic right whale migrations; (13) vessels that are 65 feet or longer have been required to comply with a 10-knot speed limit in certain locations during North Atlantic right whale migrations to reduce the threat of vessel collisions; and (14) North Atlantic right whales are migrating farther north into Canadian waters and in 2017 there were at least 12 North Atlantic right whale deaths in Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence, in addition to the 6 documented deaths in United States waters in 2017 and 2018. (b) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) the governments of the United States and Canada must work together to reduce lethal and sub-lethal effects of human activities on North Atlantic right whales