#rightwhales — Public Fediverse posts

Endangered #rightwhales could wait almost a decade for new #US protections
New protections for endangered right #whales in #Atlantic postponed for nearly a decade under a plan that cleared a key hurdle in Washington with support of fishing and lobster industries.
Environmentalists say this could spell end for the vanishing whales, which can drown after getting tangled up in fishing gear or being struck by boats. There are only about 380 #NorthAtlantic right whales left.
https://apnews.com/article/right-whales-fishing-seafood-lobster-f84bc73f061ced0fffbef408caf947d8

8/ The 2024-25 North Atlantic right whale calving season: 23 mother-calf pairs. Most since 2009. Fourth-highest ever. Total population: ~380. Scientists are cautiously optimistic. Every calf matters when you have 380 left. 🐋🍼 #RightWhales #OceanHope #WorldOceanDay

#NOAA issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that questions the need to continue the North #Atlantic #RightWhale Vessel Speed Rule which has been in place since 2008. The rule requires vessels 65 feet or longer to slow to 10 knots in seasonal management areas along the #US east coast where, and when, critically #endangered North Atlantic #rightwhales are known to aggregate.
NOAA confirmed the rule reduced risk to right #whales by up to 90%
https://us.whales.org/2026/03/04/noaa-questions-the-ongoing-need-to-protect-endangered-whales-from-vessel-strikes/

#Whale #feeding zone discovery triggers call for protection
Satellite tracking of New Zealand southern #rightwhales, or #tohorā, has revealed a key feeding location about 500kms south of #Australia that needs to be protected, #scientists say.
"It turned out that one destination was by far the most popular," says Dr. Leena Riekkola, a Rutherford Postdoctoral Fellow. "90% of the whales traveled to a zone south of Australia, rich in prey, where different waters converge."
https://phys.org/news/2025-08-whale-zone-discovery-triggers.html

#Whales move nutrients from Alaska to Hawaii in their urine, supporting tropical ecosystems https://phys.org/news/2025-03-whales-nutrients-alaska-hawaii-urine.html

Migrating #BaleenWhales transport high-latitude nutrients to tropical and subtropical ecosystems https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56123-2

"in oceans across the globe, great whales—including #RightWhales, #GrayWhales, and #humpbacks—transport about 4,000 tons of nitrogen each year to low-nutrient coastal areas in the tropics and subtropics. They also bring more than 45,000 tons of biomass"

A federal appeals court reinstated seasonal lobster fishing bans in a 200-nautical-mile area off New England’s coast to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. This decision aims to prevent deadly entanglements in fishing gear, which threatens the fewer than 380 remaining right whales. Environmental groups welcome this ruling as a crucial step toward conservation.

@goodnews

#GoodNews #RightWhales #Conservation #MarineLife #LobsterFishing
https://apnews.com/article/lobster-fishing-right-whales-seafood-court-949dd5ac80a571baf923895b96bde6ad

#Whales can live way longer than scientists had thought, with potential #lifespans as much as double previous estimates
Southern #rightwhales have lifespans that reach well past 100yr, and 10% may live past 130 years. Some of these whales may live to 150. This #lifespan is almost double the 70-80 years they are conventionally believed to live.
North Atlantic right whales thought to have lifespan of about 70yr. But average only 22 years, and they rarely live past 50.
https://theconversation.com/whales-can-live-way-longer-than-scientists-had-thought-with-potential-lifespans-as-much-as-double-previous-estimates-245826

#Biden Administration Withdraws Protections for #Endangered #Whales
Proposed rules would have slowed more #ships to prevent collisions with rare #NorthAtlantic #rightwhales
In Aug 2022, #NMFS proposed rules to lower the risk of #whale strikes by expanding existing slow zones and regulating more types of ships. But after bristling public debate over the rules and with just days left in President Biden’s term, the agency canned the suggested change.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/us/biden-administration-slow-ships-whales-proposal-withdraw.html
https://archive.ph/VozSC

Study reveals #rightwhales live 130 years—or more
Scientists working with Indigenous subsistence hunters in Utqiaġvik used chemical analysis of harvested #bowheadwhales to show they can live more than 200 years. Right #whales, which are much more closely related to bowhead whales than any other species, appear to exhibit similar #lifespans. The current study examined four decades of data collected by photo identification programs tracking individual whales.
https://phys.org/news/2024-12-reveals-whales-years.html

Study reveals right #whales live 130 years—or more https://phys.org/news/2024-12-reveals-whales-years.html

Extreme longevity may be the rule not the exception in Balaenid whales https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adq3086

"Southern #RightWhales, once thought to live only 70 to 80 years, can exceed lifespans of 130 years, with some individuals possibly reaching 150 years. In contrast, the study found the average lifespan of the North Atlantic right whale is just 22 years, with very few individuals surviving past the age of 50."

Scientists add more #underwater #robots to monitor endangered #NorthAtlantic #rightwhales
In the race to protect the #endangered species, researchers are bringing in more underwater robots—unmanned vehicles known as gliders that slowly patrol the Gulf of St. Lawrence, passively listening for #whales.
Gliders can stay at sea for months, move far offshore and work in all types of weather. They’re equipped with underwater microphones that scientists use to track animals.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/scientists-add-more-underwater-robots-to-monitor-endangered-north-atlantic-right-whales-1.6946604

Southern #RightWhales go for a dive https://oceanbites.org/southern-right-whales-go-for-a-dive/

Foraging dives of southern right #whales in relation to larger #zooplankton size prey availability in Golfo Nuevo, Península Valdés, #argentina Valeria D’Agostino et al. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-63879-y

"There are significantly more and larger zooplankton at the bottom during the day... female whales are taking risky and costly dives with their calves during the day for higher quality food when the #plankton are concentrated at the bottom."

Large number of #whale sightings off #NewEngland, including dozens of endangered sei whales https://phys.org/news/2024-06-large-whale-sightings-england-dozens.html

"A research flight made 161 sightings of seven different species of #whales on May 25 south of #MarthasVineyard and southeast of #Nantucket... The sightings included 93 of #SeiWhales, and that is one of the highest concentrations of the rare whale during a single flight... There were also endangered North Atlantic #RightWhales as well as humpback, fin, minke and #SpermWhales"

One of world's rarest #whales sighted off California coast https://phys.org/news/2024-05-world-rarest-whales-sighted-california.html

"a critically #endangered #NorthPacificRightWhale was spotted off the #MarinCounty coast, thrilling #scientists... only ~30 #animals are thought to survive... The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling banned the hunting of #RightWhales in the North #Pacific in 1937, and their numbers began to climb... But illegal #Soviet #whaling in the 1960s again pushed the species toward #extinction"

[Paywall -- full text in post] Scientists puzzled by colder deep water temperatures in #GulfOfMaine

by Nicole Ogrysko, Maine Public May 15, 2024

"About a dozen years ago, the Gulf of Maine experienced an #OceanHeatwave unlike any other.

"Today, scientists are puzzling over new data that suggest the gulf may be experiencing another kind of
climate shock.

"Data collected from buoys placed in the Gulf of Maine show that over the last six months, deep water
temperatures are noticeably lower than the long-term average.

"'It’s not just cold in the deep waters right now, it’s really cold. And it’s fresher, it’s really fresher than it’s been,' said Nick Record, a senior scientist with Bigelow Laboratory. 'These are very unusual conditions, so I think there’s a lot that we can learn by watching how the year unfolds.'

"The Gulf of Maine is still one of the fastest warming oceans on the planet, Record said. The ocean #heatwave that hit the Gulf of Maine back in 2012 served as a prime example of the kind of surface temperature warming that much of the #AtlanticOcean has been experiencing.

"But #ClimateChange creates more unpredictable conditions, and Record said the Gulf of Maine may be experiencing another kind of #ClimateShock, similar to a late season #frost.

"'In some ways if we’re just expecting long term warming, we could be surprised when, even temporarily, we get these weird reversals to a cold situation. The more we can condition ourselves to think about surprises, what they might mean for us, the more we can be proactive and more be adaptive,' Record said.

"It’s not clear how long this pattern will hold, Record said. Because colder water makes for prime feeding habitat for critically endangered North Atlantic #RightWhales, Record said he’ll watch for whether right whales return to the Gulf of Maine in larger numbers this summer than they have in recent years.

"Colder deep water may also change conditions for the #lobster population. Deep water temperatures affect the timing of lobster molts, the presence of shell disease and other population impacts, Record said.'"

https://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/05/15/state/state-environment/gulf-of-maine-cold-deep-water-climate-change/

#AMOC #ClimateWeirding #ExtremeCold

@Nonilex

This is so sad! About 10 years ago while visiting friends near Canaveral FL around this time of year, I had the opportunity to observe Right Whales on their migration, and learned their story.

#rightwhales #extinction

The delay has frustrated #whale advocates, who say more urgency is required. “As we watch this species go extinct one by one, the solution sits idle in the hands of the administration,” said Kathleen Collins, a snr marine campaign manager at the Intl Fund for #AnimalWelfare.

As a 1-yr-old, #Bishop managed to weave through #vessel-filled waters unscathed. Other #RightWhales aren’t as lucky.

#MaritimeLaw #law #regulations #Wildlife #Conservation #whales #extinction #ocean

For much of his migration, #Bishop swam through waters where the lack of #SpeedLimits makes #vessel strikes more likely.

In 2022, the #Biden admin proposed expanding that area & applying speed limits to smaller #vessels….

The proposed expanded boundaries have been embraced by scientists & advocates, who say it could help save #NorthAtlantic #RightWhales from #extinction. But NOAA Fisheries, the agency behind the proposal, has yet to finalize the rule, which is still being reviewed by the WH.

Efforts to protect #endangered North Atlantic right #whales get $500K boost https://ca.news.yahoo.com/efforts-protect-endangered-north-atlantic-205440652.html

"#NOAA officials hailed the grant from the #Biden admin as a key moment in their fight to prevent the #extinction of the #RightWhale, with only ~360 individuals remaining... the money will go toward working with #NASA to develop new tagging technologies allowing observers to more accurately identify and track the remaining #RightWhales to prevent entanglement in #fishing gear, vessel strikes"

#Misinformation spreads as more #Atlantic #whales show up dead. Scientists are worried.
Scientists say such confusion and misinformation can hurt evidence-based #conservation efforts. The “right” rabbit hole to save #NorthAtlantic #rightwhales, #MichaelMoore, a #veterinary scientist at #WHOI in Massachusetts said, would be the one that addresses #ship strikes and entanglement with #fishing gear.
https://www.postandcourier.com/environment/misinformation-spreads-as-more-atlantic-whales-show-up-dead-scientists-are-worried/article_c32ca870-9112-11ed-ab30-27e7bbc38c02.html

U.S. agencies set plans to protect endangered #RightWhales during #OffshoreWind operations https://phys.org/news/2024-01-agencies-endangered-whales-offshore.html

"The agencies said they are trying to find ways to better protect the #whales amid a surge of #offshore #wind farm projects, particularly on the U.S. East Coast. They plan to look for ways to mitigate potential adverse impacts of offshore wind projects on the whales and their habitat."

#ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #Renewables #RenewableEnergy #USpol #Biden #EnergyTransition

North Atlantic right #whale population has steadied https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/north-atlantic-right-whale-population-steadies-1.7003594

"The population of critically endangered #NorthAtlanticRightWhales appears to have levelled off after a decade of steep decline... While the results are positive, the #whales are still imperilled by ship strikes and fishing gear entanglement"

#Conservation #ConservationOptimism #OceanOptimism #Extinction #RightWhales

#Researchers have finally settled a decades-long dispute about the evolutionary origins of the #PygmyRightWhale https://phys.org/news/2023-07-whale-debate-rest.html

Convergent #evolution of skim feeding in baleen #whales https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.13047

"#Genomics now shows that #Caperea is a distinct lineage and not related to #RightWhales. It is the sole guardian of a unique piece of evolutionary heritage. It truly is the last survivor of an otherwise lost family that once played a much bigger role"