Humans Vs. Whales

Ok. Yes, there has been some very good news about humpback whale populations. So much so that now the IUCN has classified the species as "least concern." They've done the same for the beach crashing southern right whales.


Image from a recent NEAQ whale watch by naturalist Melissa Rocha.

But, as NEAQ senior researcher Scott Kraus points out in this article, human beings are still a threat to whales:

Dr. Kraus said the North Atlantic humpback population is "recovering at a pretty good clip" but noted that because they live in an "urban ocean," they still have high rates of entanglement in fishing gear and strikes by ships. The same is true for northern right whales, he said.

There may be only 300 North Atlantic right whales along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, Mr. Perrin said.

"When you live in real estate where there are ships running through your living room and fishing gear in your dining room, you are going to die," Dr. Kraus said. He added that whales' reproduction is being impaired by pollutants such as endocrine disrupters, pesticides and oil runoff from roads.

Southern right whales are likely showing signs of improvement because they swim to Antarctica in the winter to give birth to their calves, Dr. Kraus said.

So, "Save the Whales" still applies, and big time for the North Atlantic right whale. And NEAQ researchers aren't about to let anyone forget it.