NORTH
ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES - ENVIRONMENT
News:
Female right whales may
never breed after entanglement in fishing gear: study
What's
in the news?
●
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration announced that the entanglement
in fishing gear is a deadly threat to these critically endangered animals.
Key
takeaways:
●
Scientists estimate that before commercial
whaling scaled up in the 18th and 19th centuries, there may have been as many
as 10,000 North Atlantic right whales.
●
Today, fewer than 360 individuals remain.
Almost 90% of them have been entangled at least once.
Impact
of Fishing Gear on Whales:
●
When whales become entangled in fishing
gear, they use extra energy dragging
it as they swim.
●
If the rope is caught around their mouths,
they may struggle to feed and slowly
starve.
●
Ropes wrapped around whales bodies,
fliippers or tails can cut into the animals skin and become deeply embedded in
their flesh, as happened to whale.
●
This can cause infections, chronic emaciation and damage to whales blubber, muscle,
bone and baleen — the bristly structures in their mouths that they use to
filter prey from the water.
Impact
on Whales Breeding:
●
North Atlantic right whales are legally
protected, both internationally and in U.S. waters, including policies that
seek to reduce deaths or serious injuries resulting from entanglements.
●
However, even when entanglement does not
kill a whale, it can affect individuals
ability to reproduce, which is critically important for a species with such
low numbers.
●
In a newly published study, we show that
even entanglements scientists classify as “minor” have devastating impacts on
female right whales and that, surprisingly, potential mothers who suffer
“minor” entanglements have the lowest chance of starting to breed.
North
Atlantic Right Whales:
●
It is a species of large baleen whale found in the North Atlantic Ocean.
●
The North Atlantic right whale is one of
the world’s most endangered large whale species.
Characteristics:
●
It has white calluses on its head.
●
It lacks a dorsal fin and has a broad
back.
●
Its mouth is long and arched, starting
above the eye.
●
As a baleen whale, it feeds on small
organisms like zooplankton and krill.
●
They use baleen plates in their mouths to filter food from the water as they swim.
●
They are often seen in coastal waters
during breeding season.
●
Right whales communicate using
low-frequency moans, groans, and pulses.
Feeding
Technique:
●
Baleen whale, any cetacean possessing
unique epidermal modifications of the mouth called baleen, which is used to
filter food from water.
●
Baleen whales seek out concentrations of small planktonic animals.
●
The whales then open their mouth and take
in enormous quantities of water.
●
When the mouth is closed, they squeeze the
water out through the sides, catching the tiny prey on the baleen’s bristles.
Habitat:
●
North Atlantic right whales inhabit
coastal waters predominantly along the eastern coast of North America from
Florida to Canada.
●
They are also found in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Threats:
●
Threats like entanglement in fishing gear, vessel strikes, climate change is altering their migratory patterns, feeding areas,
and breeding ability.
●
Ocean
noise affects their communication, food search and
navigation abilities.
Conservation
Status:
●
IUCN List of Threatened Species: Critically Endangered
Conservation
Efforts:
●
Implementing rules to minimize fishing
gear entanglement.
●
Enforcing speed limits for ships in areas
where the whales are commonly found.