The Future of the North Atlantic Right Whale: Threatened by Entanglements and Collisions

There are concerns worldwide about the future of the North Atlantic right whale. This whale species – which is threatened with extinction – regularly becomes entangled in fishing nets, sometimes with fatal consequences.

For example, last week a North Atlantic right whale was found off the east coast of the United States seen who was tangled in a rope. Rescuers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were unable to help the animal free itself from the rope because it swam too far from shore. They are monitoring the whale and will attempt to free it “if weather and safety conditions permit.”

Entanglement is a major cause of death in the North Atlantic right whale, says marine biologist Mardik Leopold of Wageningen University. There are only about 360 of the whale species left around the world. “There are already very few North Atlantic right whales. So if one dies, it immediately has a major impact.”

The North Atlantic right whale has a dark gray body with many white calluses, a broad back without a dorsal fin, and a long beak that starts just above its eyes. In winter, according to marine biologist Leopold, the animals swim near Greenland, and in summer they move along the east coast of the United States.

Centuries ago, there were thousands of North Atlantic right whales in the Atlantic Ocean, but whaling almost made the animal extinct. The fact that the North Atlantic right whale has a thick layer of fat and is a slow swimmer made it a popular prey at the time. It is not without reason that the North Atlantic right whale is called ‘the right whale‘: whalers considered it the ‘good’ whale to catch.

Nowadays, entanglement is a major cause of death for the North Atlantic right whale. In 2017, according to the World Wildlife Fund, seventeen of these whales died due to entanglement in fishing nets. If they are trapped in a net or rope, they can no longer swim to the surface of the water to breathe or eat.

North Atlantic right whales also regularly die from collisions with ships, says Leopold. There is a lot of shipping traffic in the animals’ habitat – off the American northeast coast. Moreover, the animals cannot react quickly enough when a ship approaches. “If a container ship crashes into a whale at high speed, the ship wins.”

In some parts of the ocean, ships therefore have to slower sail. But that doesn’t always help. Earlier this month, a dead female North Atlantic right whale was found near Virginia Beach, apparently having collided with a ship. The animal had a damaged spine and fractures in all vertebrae of the lower back.

There is not much point in banning shipping in specific parts of the ocean, Leopold thinks. “North Atlantic right whales live in a very large area.”

He expects that it will take a long time to recover the North Atlantic right whale population. The species does not have hundreds of children, but one calf at a time. “And once a female gets one, she usually doesn’t get one the following year.”

To ensure that the whales are doing better again, we must “handle shipping and fishing with care,” says Leopold. “And there must be enough to eat, so we shouldn’t empty the entire sea.”

The biologist does not see the future of the North Atlantic right whale as a lost cause. But, he says: “As long as we continue to use the sea as we are doing now, it will become difficult for those animals.”