Multiple outlets report that new protections for endangered North Atlantic right whales in the United States are likely to be delayed for nearly a decade. The delay is attributed to the time required to move through the regulatory and implementation steps after a key milestone in Washington is reached. According to the reports, the approach cleared an important hurdle “last week,” with broad backing from stakeholders in the fishing and lobster industries. That support is described as a factor in advancing the plan, but it does not change the timeline for when the protections take effect. While the exact measures included in the protections are not detailed in the provided excerpts, the articles agree on the central point: the rules are expected to come later than advocates and observers may want, potentially leaving the whales without new protections for years. Overall, the reports frame the situation as a policy process with delays driven by procedural timelines and stakeholder negotiations following the plan’s progress in Washington.