Some grim news if you’ve been keeping a close eye on the North Atlantic right whale population.
A group of conservationists estimates the number of whales left on our planet has fallen to its lowest level in nearly two decades.
The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, a partnership of dozens of organizations, puts the population at 336 for 2020, which is down eight per cent from the previous year.
“There is no question that human activities are driving this species toward extinction,” Consortium Chair Dr. Scott Kraus says in a news release. “There is also no question that North Atlantic right whales are an incredibly resilient species. No one engaged in right whale work believes that the species cannot recover from this. They absolutely can, if we stop killing them and allow them to allocate energy to finding food, mates, and habitats that aren’t marred with deadly obstacles.”
The group estimates there are fewer than 100 breeding females left.
The population reached its peak in 2011 at 481. They have been on a downward trajectory ever since.
(CREDIT: North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium)
In the past 10 years, the species has declined by 30 per cent according to researchers.
The consortium attributes entanglements from fishing gear along with vessel strikes at the biggest threats to the survival of the species.
“We as humans have put these whales in the predicament they are in, and we have the ability to help them out of it. Broad collaboration and a long-term commitment to ensuring this species’ survival is required and urgent actions to prevent entanglements and collisions with vessels must be implemented,” Consortium Executive Administrator Heather Pettis says in a news release.
The consortium is holding its annual meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday to talk more about right whales and their survival.
North Atlantic Right Whales. (CREDIT: North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium via Twitter)
It will release reports on whale births and deaths.
Nearly 500 people are expected to attend from the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia.
