The Latin name for Rice’s whale is Balaenoptera ricei,” NOAA stated. NOAA says the Gulf of Mexico subspecies of Bryde’s whale was already protected as an endangered species.

In December 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, more than a dozen mega cruise ships were stationed in Bahía de La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, due to the tourism shutdown.

The U.S. government is facing a backlash after it concluded that the oil and gas industry off the Gulf Coast is likely threatening the survival of the endangered Rice’s whale.

US finds endangered Gulf of Mexico whale threatened by oil and gas vessel strikes By Reuters May 21, 20259:23 AM PDTUpdated May 21, 2025 ...

(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's administration will delay by two years a final rule designating protections for the endangered Rice's whale in the oil and gas drilling region of the Gulf ...

The Rice's whale was previously considered a Gulf of Mexico subspecies of the Bryde's whale. Probably fewer than 100 Rice's whales remain in the Gulf of Mexico, according to NMFS.

President Trump speaks to the press before signing a proclamation renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America aboard Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on February 9. AFP via ...

The Trump administration published a long-awaited environmental assessment on Tuesday that found that vessel strikes related to oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico are likely to jeopardize ...