TAKE ACTION to protect North Atlantic Right Whales and all marine life

The plight of the North Atlantic Right Whales has been at the forefront of marine conservation for several years. North Atlantic Right Whales can be found along the Atlantic Coast of the United States and Canada where they migrate between their feeding grounds in the North and breeding and calving grounds in the South. In 2017, an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) was declared as whales continued to die at a rapid rate. With less than 360 individuals remaining, this critically endangered whale has faced significant population decline due to human-induced threats, including fishing gear entanglements and vessel strike injuries.

Flipper entanglement
Entanglement in fishing gear is a significant cause of serious injury and mortality for right whales. The whale in this image has several fishing ropes wrapped around its flipper. Over time, the whale’s continued growth, combined with drag through the water and shifting, could cause these ropes to tighten, leading to bone damage, infection, and eventually death. In this image also note the broad, paddle-shaped black flipper, a characteristic of the species.
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Photo Credit (full credit required for use):
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, NOAA Research Permit # 932-1905/MA-009526

Entanglements

Fishing gear entanglements are one of the deadliest threats that North Atlantic Right Whales face. When a whale becomes entangled, the fishing gear can cut into the whale’s body causing deep lacerations and constriction injuries, leading to serious infections or even death. If the whale is able to shed the gear or it is removed by disentanglement teams, often the damage is already done. Entanglements are extremely stressful for the whales and can cause weakness and the inability to feed, reproduce, or swim.

Determining the origin of fishing gear involved in entanglements is challenging. Gear marking regulations have been implemented as a part of the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan. Despite this management measure, the origin of a majority of entanglements is still unknown. However, some fisheries have been found to be responsible. The lobster pot/trap fishery has been a large focus of management modifications as past gear analyses confirmed their responsibility in some North Atlantic Right Whale entanglements. North Atlantic Right Whales have also had documented entanglements in some gillnet fisheries along the Atlantic Coast.

Researchers and activists alike have been advocating for the use of ropeless fishing gear in our commercial fisheries. Ropeless gear would eliminate the fishing ropes that hang in the water column attached to gear and surface buoys. Ropeless fishing gear not only decreases the likelihood of entanglements, but it also reduces the risk of lost gear as a result of strong storm surges. Multi-million dollar grants have been awarded to allow fishermen to participate in ropeless gear trial programs, however, most fishermen oppose the program and are not willing to participate.

As the number of new permits increase in many fisheries along the Atlantic Coast, more fishing gear is inevitably polluting our oceans and endangering marine life like the North Atlantic Right Whales. If we don’t act now, it will be too late.

Vessel Strike Injuries

North Atlantic Right Whales have fallen victim to vessel strike injuries time and time again. Over the years, several North Atlantic Right Whales have been seriously injured or killed as a result of blunt force trauma associated with vessel collisions. The migratory path of the North Atlantic Right Whales overlaps with maritime shipping lanes and their critical habitat is close to several major ports. Unfortunately, this leaves the whales especially vulnerable to collisions with vessels that can lead to serious injuries, including broken bones, internal injuries, lacerations, or even death. Vessels of any size can collide with and injure a whale. The faster a vessel is traveling the more likely it is to result in serious injury or death if a collision with a whale occurs.

Current vessel speed regulations require most vessels 65 feet in length or greater to reduce speeds to 10 knots while traveling through Seasonal Management Areas (SMAs) where North Atlantic Right Whales are known to frequent as they migrate along the coast. In 2022, NOAA proposed a new rule extending speed regulations to most vessels 35 feet in length or greater when traveling through SMAs. The final rule was expected in 2023. Unfortunately, it has not been implemented.

There is no greater time to advocate and take a strong stance to protect the last remaining North Atlantic Right Whales from vessel strike injuries.

Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries. Taken under NOAA permit #24359

• On April 9, 2024, 50 miles off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island, North Atlantic Right Whale #4143 was spotted swimming while entangled. He had rope coming out of both sides of his mouth and trailing behind his fluke (tail). Officials are currently monitoring the situation.

Photo Credit: Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, taken under NOAA permit #24359. Aerial survey funded by United States Army Corps of Engineers.

• On March 30, 2024, a dead North Atlantic Right Whale was found floating 50 miles off the coast of Virginia. The whale was identified as #1950. #1950 was an adult female and recently gave birth to a calf this season. Unfortunately, her calf was not found and is not expected to survive on its own. After she was towed to shore, a necropsy revealed she had extensive injuries, including a dislocated spine and fractured vertebrae in her lower back. These horrific injuries are consistent with a vessel strike.

Photo Credit: Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, taken under NOAA permit 24359.

• On February 13, 2024, a dead North Atlantic right whale was spotted off the coast of Savannah, Georgia. The whale was identified as a juvenile female and the calf of Pilgrim (#4340) first seen in December of 2022. A necropsy revealed that she suffered blunt force trauma, including skull fractures, consistent with a vessel strike.

Photo Credit: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution/Michael Moore NOAA Permit # 24359

• On January 28, 2024, the body of North Atlantic right whale #5120 was ashore in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The juvenile female whale had suffered from a chronic entanglement in fishing gear from the Maine state lobster fishery. She was first spotted entangled in 2022 off the coast of Canada. With less than 70 reproductive females remaining, this loss is devastating.

On January 14, 2024, North Atlantic right whale Half Note (#1301) was seen without her calf. Half Note and her eighth known calf were seen together previously on January 11, 2024. Sadly, the calf looked thin and has not been seen since. Half Note has lost six of her seven previously documented calves. Her eighth calf is not expected to survive on its own.

On January 5, North Atlantic right whale #3780, a first-time mom, was spotted via aerial survey without her dependent calf. They were last spotted together on December 31, 2023 near the Florida/Georgia border. Because of the age of the calf, it is not expected to survive on its own.

Photo Credit: Georgia Department of Natural Resources taken under NOAA permit #24359.

• On January 3, 2024, an injured calf was spotted off the coast of Edisto, South Carolina. The calf, identified as the very first calf of the season, had several propeller wounds on the head, mouth, and left lip of the calf consistent with a vessel strike. Due to the severity of the wounds, the calf was not expected to survive. On February 26, 2024, the calf was spotted with its mother off the coast of Georgia where its wounds were bleeding. On March 3, 2024, three months after the first sighting, the calf was found dead along Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia.