The North Atlantic right whale
North Atlantic right whale and calf.
Photo credit: Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, NOAA permit #20556-01 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/myfwc/sets/72157717202125158/)
It is an image I will never get out of my head. While out on a research cruise looking for the elusive and critically endangered North Atlantic right whale on a foggy, frigidly cold winter day in the Gulf of Maine, we finally found one. It took a few breaths while we took data, and the sound of camera shutters went off around me. Someone called out that it was about to take its terminal dive, raising its flukes out of the water. It’s the image most people think of when they think of whales, the majestic moment as the animal dives. But as the moment came, my heart sank. This whale was missing half of its tail, caused by the propellor of a ship. (The work I’m describing took place under a NOAA research permit. Please do not approach North Atlantic right whales within 500 yards.)
That was in 2010, and we believed there to be around 473 animals left in the North Atlantic right whale population. In November 2020, the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium meeting was held (virtually), and we learned that the estimated number of right whales alive at the end of 2019 is 356 animals. We have lost nearly a quarter of the population that was alive when I started studying this species ten years ago. Between ship strikes and entanglements in fishing gear, the North Atlantic right whale may go extinct within our lifetimes, making it the first large whale to meet that fate since a global moratorium on whaling and extensive conservation measures have brought almost all whale species back from near extinction. (There was once an Atlantic grey whale…it was hunted to extinction in the early 1700s.)
So, what can be done? Is it all doom and gloom?
Here is what is being done currently:
· Extensive efforts to survey for North Atlantic right whales are underway along the eastern seaboard, both visually and acoustically.
· Canadian and U.S. officials are working together to solve the problems of ship strike and fishing gear entanglement.
· In years past, entire shipping lanes have been relocated from areas where whales were found, and there is talk of dynamic shipping lanes.
· Speed restrictions are in place for ships greater than 65 feet during certain times of the year in set locations.
· Dynamic speed restrictions are put in place when 3 or more whales are sighted visually, and new speed restriction zones are being tested now that also can be based on acoustic detections.
· Scientists and technology companies are working on solutions to find ropeless solutions for pot fisheries that rely on having heavy lines running from their fishing gear to the surface of the water.
· Individual whales are tracked via photo identification to determine habitat preference, behavior, family lineages. Check out the catalog here.
· Scientists, regulators, and stakeholders meet annually to discuss the status of the species, research efforts, and how to conserve the species.
And so far, there have been 5 new right whale calves spotted as of Jan 4, 2021. Hopefully, this year’s calf count will continue to grow.
So, what can you do to help?
RIGHT NOW, you can submit comments on two documents pertaining to North Atlantic right whales. Check out this page from NOAA that talks about both. The comment period is open until March 1. I will work on summaries of these documents for a future blog post to help you if you would like to comment on either.
