Saving Two Female Right Whales a Year Could Reverse North Atlantic Decline
Right Whale News – Vol. 9, No. 1
After the end of commercial whaling, right whales in the
western North Atlantic were thought to be slowly
recovering in number.
Since about 1990,
however, evidence shows
that this population is
declining and could
become extinct. Collisions
with ships, entanglement in
fishing gear and changes in
food supply due to climate
changes are suspected of
contributing to their
decline. A report published
in the November 29 issue
of Nature suggests that
preventing the deaths of
just two female right
whales per year could allow
the North Atlantic right
whale population to
increase rather than
decline.
Unfortunately, 2001 had
a record number of
mortalities- seven known
deaths and possibly two more. Four calves died, two as a
result of ship collisions (off Assateague, Virginia, and
Long Island, New York). Three adults are known to have
died. Two were entangled (catalog #1102 - Churchill - and
#1238). An unidentified adult carcass was sighted on
Middle Bank, Nova Scotia on December 3, and its cause
of death unknown. In addition, an adult (#1114) may have
died off southeast Nova Scotia in September and another
adult (#2427), disentangled off New Hampshire and seen
again in the Bay of Fundy in September, was given a poor
prognosis for survival by New England Aquarium
scientists.
Next article: New Sonar May Help Avoid Collisions
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