Right Whales Are Shrinking In Numbers— New Study Shows They're Also Shrinking In Size
3 years, 6 months ago

Right Whales Are Shrinking In Numbers— New Study Shows They're Also Shrinking In Size

NPR  

Right Whales Are Shrinking In Numbers— New Study Shows They're Also Shrinking In Size North Atlantic right whales now grow about three feet shorter than they did 40 years ago. EVE ZUCKOFF, BYLINE: To find out how long and fat a North Atlantic right whale is without being overly invasive, scientists motor a few miles into Cape Cod Bay and launch a drone 200 feet into the air. There are only about 366 North Atlantic right whales left in the world, so less energy for reproduction and resilience is an existential threat to the species. SHAPIRO: And a quick note - it's just being reported that the 18th North Atlantic right whale calf of the season has been spotted in Canada's Bay of Fundy.

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History of this topic

First right whales of season gorge on critical food off Massachusetts, giving hope for a strong year
4 weeks ago

First right whales of season gorge on critical food off Massachusetts, giving hope for a strong year

Associated Press  

Scientists who study a critically endangered species of whale that lives off New England said encouraging early signs suggest the animals could have a strong season for feeding and breeding. Scientists with the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Massachusetts, said they observed the first two right whales of the season in the bay on Nov. 18, and the animals …

Carcass of endangered fin whale washes up near Alaska’s largest city
1 month ago

Carcass of endangered fin whale washes up near Alaska’s largest city

Associated Press  

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An endangered fin whale that washed up near a coastal trail in Alaska’s largest city has attracted curious onlookers while biologists seek answers as to what caused the animal’s death. Fin whales are the second-largest whale species, according to NOAA Fisheries, and fully grown can reach up to 85 feet long and weigh between 40 tons and …

Critically endangered whale species rebounds slightly
2 months ago

Critically endangered whale species rebounds slightly

Raw Story  

One of the world's rarest whale species has seen a slight population rebound, according to data released Tuesday, though experts warn it remains at serious risk of extinction. The number of North Atlantic right whales rose to 373 in 2023, up four percent from a recent low of 358 individuals in 2020, according to the latest estimates by scientists at …

One of the rarest species of whale in the world sees population increase
2 months ago

One of the rarest species of whale in the world sees population increase

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The researchers are members of the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, which is a longstanding collaboration between scientists, conservationists, …

Another endangered right whale dies after a collision with a ship off the East Coast
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Another endangered right whale dies after a collision with a ship off the East Coast

Associated Press  

An increasingly deadly year for the endangered North Atlantic right whale got worse this week when another member of the species was killed in a collision with a ship, federal authorities said Thursday. The most recent right whale to die was found floating 50 miles offshore east of Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach, Virginia, last Saturday, the …

Walkers are warned to stay away from three 60ft sperm whales washed up on beaches in the North of England - because the carcasses may explode
9 months, 1 week ago

Walkers are warned to stay away from three 60ft sperm whales washed up on beaches in the North of England - because the carcasses may explode

Daily Mail  

Beach walkers have warned to stay away from the bodies of three 60ft sperm whales washed ashore from the North Sea - amid fears the carcasses could explode and cover them in entrails. In November last year, a 54ft fin whale found washed ashore on Fistral beach in Newquay, Cornwall, garnered headlines amid fears that it too would explode. The …

Rare whale found dead off Massachusetts may have been entangled, authorities say
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Rare whale found dead off Massachusetts may have been entangled, authorities say

Associated Press  

A rare whale found dead off Massachusetts shows potential evidence of injury from entanglement in fishing gear, which is one of the most pressing threats to the vanishing species, federal authorities said. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it was notified about the dead female North Atlantic right whale on Sunday off Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. “Due to the animal’s …

Decline of rare right whale appears to be slowing, but scientists say big threats remain
1 year, 2 months ago

Decline of rare right whale appears to be slowing, but scientists say big threats remain

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Maine — The decline of one of the rarest whales in the world appears to be slowing, but scientists warn the giant mammals still face existential threats from warming oceans, ship collisions and entanglement in fishing gear. This suggests the population is potentially levelling off, as equal numbers of whales could be entering the population as are being killed, …

Vanishing whale’s decline worse than previously thought, feds say
1 year, 5 months ago

Vanishing whale’s decline worse than previously thought, feds say

LA Times  

The North Atlantic right whale numbers less than 350, and it has been declining in population for several years. A review of the status of a vanishing species of whale found that the animal’s population is in worse shape than previously thought, federal ocean regulators said Monday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released new data that 114 of the …

Endangered whale’s decline slows, but population falls again
2 years, 1 month ago

Endangered whale’s decline slows, but population falls again

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Maine — The decline of an endangered species of whale slowed last year, as it lost about 2% of its population, but scientists warn the animal still faces existential threats and is losing breeding females too fast. The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, a group of scientists, government officials and industry members, said Monday that the population fell to …

Endangered whale population sinks close to 20-year low
3 years, 1 month ago

Endangered whale population sinks close to 20-year low

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Maine — A type of whale that is one of the rarest marine mammals in the world lost nearly 10% of its population last year, a group of scientists and ocean life advocates said on Monday. The North Atlantic right whale numbered only 366 in 2019, and its population fell to 336 in 2020, the North Atlantic Right Whale …

Humans causing North Atlantic right whales to shrink, study says
3 years, 6 months ago

Humans causing North Atlantic right whales to shrink, study says

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The enormous impact of humans on the world’s oceans – from commercial fishing to the …

Shrinking giants: North Atlantic right whales getting tinier
3 years, 6 months ago

Shrinking giants: North Atlantic right whales getting tinier

The Hindu  

One of the giants of the deep is shrinking before our eyes, a new study says. The younger generation of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales are on average about three feet shorter than whales were 20 years ago, drone and aircraft data show in a study in Thursday’s journal Current Biology. “This isn’t about ‘short’ right whales, it’s about …

Shrinking giants: North Atlantic right whales getting tinier
3 years, 6 months ago

Shrinking giants: North Atlantic right whales getting tinier

Associated Press  

One of the giants of the deep is shrinking before our eyes, a new study says. The younger generation of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales are on average about three feet shorter than whales were 20 years ago, drone and aircraft data show in a study in Thursday’s journal Current Biology. “This isn’t about ‘short’ right whales, it’s about …

Undoing Trump's threat to endangered North American right whales
3 years, 9 months ago

Undoing Trump's threat to endangered North American right whales

Raw Story  

Trump's National Marine Fisheries Service was regulating right whales toward extinction as the whales literally starved to death while entangled in fishing gear. At the height of the lobster season, right whales have to navigate through more than 900,000 ropes that connect surface buoys to traps on the seafloor. In Trump's last days in office, NOAA published a draft opinion …

Only 366 North Atlantic right whales remain: NOAA
4 years, 1 month ago

Only 366 North Atlantic right whales remain: NOAA

The Hindu  

The population of North Atlantic right whales, an endangered species that has been the focus of conservation efforts for decades, has dipped to less than 370, officials said. The whale numbers at only 366, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday in an estimate that reflects the population as of January 2019. A NOAA team is working on a …

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