Species 2 Deaths

[Tom Donahou]

Beginningin 2017, elevated mortalities in North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) were documented in Canada and the United States and necessitated an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) be declared. The whales impacted by the UME include dead, injured, and sick individuals, who represent more than 20 percent of the population, which is a significant impact on an endangered species where deaths are outpacing births. Additionally, research demonstrates that only about 1/3 of right whale deaths are documented. The preliminary cause of mortality, serious injury, and morbidity (sublethal injury and illness) in most of these whales is from entanglements or vessel strikes. Endangered North Atlantic right whales are approaching extinction. There are approximately 360 individuals remaining, including fewer than 70 reproductively active females. Human impacts continue to threaten the survival of this species. The many individual whales involved in the UME are a significant setback to the recovery of this endangered species.

Morbidity determination is also a detailed scientific and veterinary assessment process that uses health data to assess sublethal injury or illness. These whales are evaluated from photos or videos. For the right whale UME, the morbidity (sublethal injury or illness) classification categories reflect: vessel strikes, entanglements, and injuries or poor body condition of unknown cause.

The most important step that the public can take to assist investigators is to immediately report any sightings of injured or stranded whales (dead or alive). In the United States, call the Greater Atlantic Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline at (866) 755-6622 or the Southeast Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline at (877) 433-8299.

Two other species of right whales exist: the North Pacific right whale, which is found in the North Pacific Ocean, and the Southern right whale, which is found in the southern hemisphere. Right whales are baleen whales, feeding on copepods (tiny crustaceans) by straining huge volumes of ocean water through their baleen plates, which act like a sieve.

By the early 1890s, commercial whalers had hunted North Atlantic right whales to the brink of extinction. (They got their name from being the "right" whales to hunt because they floated when they were killed.) Whaling is no longer a threat, but they have never recovered to pre-whaling numbers, and human interactions still present the greatest danger to this species. Entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes are the leading causes of North Atlantic right whale mortality. Increasing ocean noise levels from human activities are also a concern since the noise may interfere with right whale communication and increase their stress levels.

NOAA Fisheries and our partners are dedicated to conserving and rebuilding the North Atlantic right whale population. We use a variety of innovative techniques to study, protect, and recover these endangered whales. We engage our partners, including the fishing and shipping industries, as we develop regulations and management plans that foster healthy fisheries and reduce the risk of entanglements, slow down vessel traffic, and reduce ocean noise.

North Atlantic right whales have been listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act since 1970. There are approximately 360 individuals remaining, including fewer than 70 reproductively active females. Human impacts continue to threaten the survival of this species. The number of new calves born in recent years has been below average.

They have experienced an ongoing Unusual Mortality Event since 2017, which includes sublethally injured or ill, seriously injured, and dead right whales. The whales impacted by the UME represent more than 20 percent of the population, which is a significant impact on an endangered species where deaths are outpacing births. Additionally, research demonstrates that only about 1/3 of right whale deaths are documented.

Right whales migrate seasonally and may travel alone or in small groups. In the spring, summer, and into fall, many of these whales can be found in waters off New England and further north into Canadian waters, where they feed and mate.

Each fall, some right whales travel more than 1,000 miles from these feeding grounds to the shallow, coastal waters of their calving grounds off of South Carolina, Georgia, and northeastern Florida, though migration patterns vary.

Right whales can probably live for at least 70 years, but data on their average lifespan is limited since scientific monitoring of the species is fairly recent. Ear wax can be used to estimate age in right whales after they have died. Another way to determine lifespan is to look at groups of closely related species. There are indications that some species closely related to right whales may live more than 100 years. However, female North Atlantic right whales are now only living to around 45 years old and males only to around 65 years old. Such reduced lifespans are due to human-caused mortality, not old age.

In recent years, researchers have recorded more deaths among adult females than adult males, leading to a population with more males than females, a bias that is increasing over time. Females that undergo energetic stress from reproduction may be more susceptible than males to dying from chronic injuries such as those from entanglement or vessel strikes.

Female right whales become sexually mature at about age 10. They give birth to a single calf after a year-long pregnancy. Three years is considered a normal or healthy interval between right whale births. But now, on average, females are having calves every 6 to 10 years. Biologists believe that the additional stress caused by entanglement is one of the reasons that females are calving less often.

Vessel strikes are another major threat to right whales. Their habitat and migration routes are close to major ports along the Atlantic coastline and often overlap with shipping lanes, making right whales vulnerable to collisions with vessels. These collisions can cause broken bones and massive internal injuries or cuts from propellers. Vessels of nearly any size can injure or kill a right whale. The faster a vessel is traveling when it hits a whale, the higher the likelihood of serious injury or death.

The changing climate, and more specifically oceanographic changes in the Northwest Atlantic, are key factors contributing to reduced reproduction and higher susceptibility to human-caused threats. Over the past decade, right whales have changed their distribution patterns, likely in response to changes in prey location and availability due to warming oceans. As their prey moved, the whales began spending more time in areas with fewer protections from vessel strikes and entanglements.

A dip in right whale births and lengthened calving intervals (from 3 to 5 years to 6 to 10 years) indicates that reproductively active females have struggled in recent years to find sufficient food resources to support pregnancy. As their environment changes, right whales will likely continue to modify their distribution and behavior to adapt, resulting in a more uncertain and unpredictable future for the species.

Ocean noise from human activities such as shipping, boating, construction, and energy exploration and development has increased in the Northwest Atlantic. Noise from these activities can interrupt the normal behavior of right whales and interfere with their communication. It may also reduce their ability to detect and avoid predators and human hazards, navigate, identify physical surroundings, find food, and find mates.

We conduct various research activities on the biology, behavior, and ecology of the North Atlantic right whale. The results of this research are used to inform management decisions and enhance recovery efforts for this endangered species that is headed toward extinction. Our work includes:

Stay updated on right whale take reduction and other conservation measures. For accurate information, check your sources or confirm them by reviewing our news and announcements. Participate in public meetings and share your perspectives with Take Reduction Team members who represent your constituency.

Endangered North Atlantic right whales are approaching extinction. There are approximately 360 individuals remaining, including fewer than 70 reproductively active females. Human impacts continue to threaten the survival of this species. The species has experienced an ongoing Unusual Mortality Event since 2017. The whales impacted by the UME include dead, injured, and sick individuals.

Recently, NOAA Fisheries released the North Atlantic right whale population viability analysis tool, which was a 5-year collaboration with a variety of partners. It is a new analytical tool that helps users understand how the population will change over 100 years if threats are mitigated. Overall, the tool demonstrates that vessel strikes and entanglements must be reduced considerably for the species to continue to persist.

The tool will help guide us on our Road to Recovery, as it allows us to evaluate the scope of conservation activities needed. It also shows how successful our actions may be, or can be, at recovering endangered North Atlantic right whales.

NOAA received a historical level of funding under the Inflation Reduction Act. As part of this funding, NOAA Fisheries received $82 million to conserve and recover North Atlantic right whales. These funds will be available over the next 3 years. They will enable us to make critical investments in monitoring, enforcement, and investigation of new technologies and innovative solutions to reduce risks identified in our Road to Recovery.

For endangered North Atlantic right whales to recover, we must address existing and emerging threats to the species. To achieve this goal, the Road to Recovery focuses on three objectives: address vessel strikes, address fishing gear entanglements, and address potential and emerging threats, including impacts from climate change, new and expanded ocean uses, and ocean noise.

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