Portland, Maine — One of the world’s rarest whale species is having more babies this year than in some recent seasons, but experts say more young are needed to help stave off possible extinction.
North Atlantic right whale Population numbers Its population is estimated at 384 animals and is slowly rising after several years of decline. Whales gained more than 7% of their population in 2020, according to scientists who study them.
Whales give birth off the southeastern United States every winter before migrating north to feed. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday that researchers have identified 15 calves this winter.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a statement that this number is higher than in two of the past three winters, but the species needs “about 50 or more calves per year for many years” to halt its decline and allow recovery. Whales are vulnerable to collisions with large vessels and entanglement in commercial fishing gear.
Jeb Brogan, senior campaign director at the environmental group Oceana, said this year’s numbers are encouraging, but the species remains at risk without stronger laws to protect against those threats. The federal government is in the midst of a moratorium on federal rules designed to protect right whales until 2028, and commercial fishing groups have pushed for an offer To extend this pause for a longer period.
Brogan said there is still time left for more whale calves to be born this winter, but 50 is not a reasonable expectation due to the lack of reproductive females in the community.
“We won’t be able to pick ourselves back up,” Brogan said. “We also need to do more to address the two leading causes of right whale deaths, entanglement in fishing gear and exposure to boats.”
Whales performed better than… Last winterWhen she gave birth to only 11 calves, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Whales have only given birth to 20 calves twice since 2010, and they did not give birth to any calves in the disastrous 2018 season. Whales are less likely to reproduce when they sustain injuries Or suffer from nutritional deficienciesScientists said.
The whales were hunted to the brink of extinction during the era of commercial whaling, and were federally protected for decades. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in its statement that they are still in crisis at the moment because the number of deaths in the population is greater than the number of births in the past decade.