Right whales
To start the New Year off on a positive note, there’s good news regarding endangered animals. On December 31st, the first North Atlantic right whale calf of the season has been spotted! This deserves celebration because the North Atlantic right whale is critically endangered and not a single calf was spotted last year, according to
Barb Zoodsma, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. From lack of births to a concerning amount of death, knowing that there will be more right whales is very comforting to scientists who know they’ve been struggling in past years. The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) in September said that as of August, 19 right whales had died in 2017 and 2018. Only 5 calves were born during that same period. NOAA spotted the mother of this calf as well, meaning there still are Right Whales females alive and healthy, which is important in their reproduction. The future of the North Atlantic Right Whales are looking far brighter than last year.
But what is causing their near extinction? According to a NOAA report, "an encounter with fishing gear is the most frequent cause of documented right whale serious injuries and deaths in recent years." Out of 19 deaths last year, the NOAA can confirm at least 10 of them were caused by entanglement in fishing gear or ship strikes. This concerns researchers because losing anymore right whales would be detrimental to their population of about 450. These deaths are not on purpose but we still need to find a way to stop this problem, which hasn’t been discussed enough to come to a conclusion. However, the WDC (Whale and Dolphin Conservation) is on the spot fighting to protect these remarkable creatures according to the WDC website. the WDC is also creating a North Atlantic Right Whale curriculum unit, to teach the younger generation about the importance of these sea dwelling creatures. While there is no real reason why reproduction rates are down, it is possible that it is due to the lack of female Right Whales, so finding any sign of a female is very important. The new year shows hope and promise for endangered animals and the cause to get them off the endangered species list once and for all.
Barb Zoodsma, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. From lack of births to a concerning amount of death, knowing that there will be more right whales is very comforting to scientists who know they’ve been struggling in past years. The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) in September said that as of August, 19 right whales had died in 2017 and 2018. Only 5 calves were born during that same period. NOAA spotted the mother of this calf as well, meaning there still are Right Whales females alive and healthy, which is important in their reproduction. The future of the North Atlantic Right Whales are looking far brighter than last year.
But what is causing their near extinction? According to a NOAA report, "an encounter with fishing gear is the most frequent cause of documented right whale serious injuries and deaths in recent years." Out of 19 deaths last year, the NOAA can confirm at least 10 of them were caused by entanglement in fishing gear or ship strikes. This concerns researchers because losing anymore right whales would be detrimental to their population of about 450. These deaths are not on purpose but we still need to find a way to stop this problem, which hasn’t been discussed enough to come to a conclusion. However, the WDC (Whale and Dolphin Conservation) is on the spot fighting to protect these remarkable creatures according to the WDC website. the WDC is also creating a North Atlantic Right Whale curriculum unit, to teach the younger generation about the importance of these sea dwelling creatures. While there is no real reason why reproduction rates are down, it is possible that it is due to the lack of female Right Whales, so finding any sign of a female is very important. The new year shows hope and promise for endangered animals and the cause to get them off the endangered species list once and for all.
sources
“Protecting the Last of the North Atlantic Right Whales.” WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, us.whales.org/wdc-in-action/protecting-last-of-north-atlantic-right-whales.
Gathright, Jenny. “Endangered Species Observers Have Spotted The First Right Whale Calf Of The Season.” NPR, NPR, 29 Dec. 2018, www.npr.org/2018/12/29/680940695/endangered-species-observers-have-spotted-the-first-right-whale-calf-of-the-seas.
Gathright, Jenny. “Endangered Species Observers Have Spotted The First Right Whale Calf Of The Season.” NPR, NPR, 29 Dec. 2018, www.npr.org/2018/12/29/680940695/endangered-species-observers-have-spotted-the-first-right-whale-calf-of-the-seas.