Right Whales
JB: This is Earth and Sky. The North Atlantic right whale is the rarest of the world’s large whales. Scientists say there are fewer than 300 left.
DB: Laws protect the whales from hunters, but right whales are an easy mark in fatal collisions with ships. Right whales feed at the surface and are slow swimmers – they have trouble maneuvering quickly. And they migrate along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. – through some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
JB: Survival rates for males have remained steady over the past 20 years. But the females are in trouble. Before 1980, a female’s life expectancy was 52 years. Now, scientists say, females live an average of 15 years. And right whales need to be at least 10 years old to reproduce. That means there aren’t enough new calves being born now to sustain the right whale population.
DB: Scientists don’t know why the female right whale survival rate is dropping so alarmingly. Females with calves might be more vulnerable because they spend more time near the surface where ship strikes occur. Or their trouble might be due to ocean and climate fluctuations. But if the trend continues, the right whale will be gone. And researchers say that if two females are saved each year, the right whale might survive.
JB: For links to more about right whales, come to today’s show at earthsky.org. Special thanks today to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and to the U.S. Forest Service. We’re Block and Byrd for Earth and Sky.
The following individuals were interviewed for today’s show. Our thanks to:
Hal Caswell
Senior Scientist
Biology Department
The Robert W. Morse Chair for Excellence in Oceanography Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole, MA
John E. Heyning, Ph.D.
Deputy Director of Research and Collections Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
More Resources:
Wednesday, 28 November, 2001, 19:52 GMT ““Right whales need extra protection”“:http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1681000/1681532.stm BBC News 11/28/01
North Atlantic Right Whale Mothers Dying Out WOODS HOLE, Massachusetts,
On the trail of the Northern Atlantic Right Whale (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Caswell, H. & Fujiwara, M., “Demography of the Endangered North American Right Whale”, Nature, Vol. 414, 29 November 2001, p. 537.
McCarthy, Michael, Environment Editor, “World’s rarest whale is too buoyant, researchers find”, Independent, 08-30-2001, pp 5.
Author’s Notes:
Collisions with ships account for half of the known right whales deaths.
It used to be that the life expectancy of female North Atlantic right whales was twice that of males.
Researchers are encouraged by the unprecedented calf production this past spring [2001.]
Additional Teacher Resources
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary: Right Whale Migration
To save the northern right whale, conservationists need to gather information on the health of the populations as well as basic right whale biology. But in order to study the whales, researchers have to find them first. Although scientists understand the basic seasonal migration patterns, many gaps remain, and researchers rarely know the location of the majority of whales at any one time. This report discusses the efforts being made to better understand the northern right whales migration patterns to better conserve the endangered species.
U.S. Geological Survey: North Atlantic Right Whale
The most endangered large whale off the east coast of the United States is the North Atlantic right whale. Although a great deal has been learned about this species and such information will aid in its recovery, many questions remain. This report explores current research underway to better understand this species in order to better it current population.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, North Pacific Ocean Theme Page: Right Whales Found in the Bering Sea
This site provides a collaboration of five media releases concerning the finding of an unknown right whale population in the Bering Sea in 2001.
