A North Atlantic right whale surfaces on Cape Cod Bay in Massachusetts in March. Robert F. Bukaty / Associated Press
Scientists announced a rare bit of good news Tuesday for North Atlantic right whales, the most critically endangered large whale species on the planet.
An annual population estimate found the whales’ numbers increased slightly last year to 372, up from 358 in 2020, according to the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium.
The consortium — a collaboration among scientists, government agencies, and the shipping and fishing industries — celebrated the news but warned that the whale remains critically endangered as a result of human activity. Boat strikes and entanglements with fishing gear are leading causes of death among the whales, which breed off the coast of the southeastern United States in winter.
“To see the population estimate increasing gives us hope that what felt like a free fall over the past decade may be behind us,” Heather Pettis, a research scientist and chair of the consortium, said in a statement.
“While we still have a great deal of work to do to ensure that this species not only recovers but thrives, it feels really good to be able to share a little bit of positive news,” she added.
The estimate was the product of a collaboration between the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and includes a margin of error of about 12.
While the population numbers appeared positive for 2023, at least nine whales have died so far in 2024 — the highest mortality count since 2019 — with a few months left to go. The consortium said those deaths could lower the population count for 2025.
Advocates have been pushing NOAA to finalize new speed limits for some types of boats they say would help prevent death and injury to the rare animals.
Gib Brogan, campaign director at the conservation group Oceana, said in a statement that the pending speed limits could have saved some of the animals that died recently, but the plan is “gathering dust” some two years after its proposal.
“President Biden must approve and implement the updated vessel speed rule soon, before we see moms and calves on our shores this calving season instead of in our waters,” Brogan said.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Join the Conversation
We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It’s a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. Read more...
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
For those stories that we do enable discussion, our system may hold up comments pending the approval of a moderator for several reasons, including possible violation of our guidelines. As the Maine Trust’s digital team reviews these comments, we ask for patience.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday and limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs.
You can modify your screen name here.
Show less
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.