Calf

• On Feb. 14, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that the whale was #5120 in a catalog that tracks individual right whales.
• Further, the agency said, rope that had been deeply embedded in the whale’s tail had likely come from lobster fishing gear in Maine.
• Entanglement in fishing gear is a deadly threat to these critically endangered animals.
• Scientists estimate that before commercial whaling scaled up in the 18th and 19th centuries, there may have been as many as 10,000 North Atlantic right whales.
• When whales become entangled in fishing gear, they use extra energy dragging it as they swim.

Smaller females are having fewer young

• By 2018 there were only about 73 breeding females left, representing roughly half of all females and a sixth of the entire species.
• Other research has shown that poor health and physical condition are making it harder for these females to even start breeding.
• Smaller whales have fewer calves.

• Many organizations are involved in tracking North Atlantic right whales, including government agencies, aquariums and conservation groups.
• Even females who have previously reproduced are less likely to breed again following an entanglement event.
• By identifying and photographing whales repeatedly over time, scientists can estimate different stages of their life, such as when females give birth.

Weakness of current regulations

• If they are larger and enter the blubber, they are classified as moderate.
• Our research makes it clear that such value-laden terms are potentially misleading because even minor entanglements can threaten whales’ successful reproduction.
• In our view, these measures do not give enough weight to preventing all types of entanglements, regardless of severity.
• And the plan closes trap fishing areas seasonally when whales are known to be present in those zones.

Coming back from the brink

• While these estimates seem promising, females need to start and continue producing calves to increase whales’ numbers.
• From our work, it is very clear that both lethal and sublethal impacts of entanglements are of grave concern for these whales.

• She also is a member of the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee.
• Peter Corkeron consults for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility on right whale conservation issues.
• Rob Harcourt receives funding from the Australian Federal Government Department of Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Water for research on right whales.