There are many whale species at risk of extinction, but none are as bad as the North Atlantic right whale, of which fewer than 400 individuals survive and whose population has been in constant decline for years. Or rather it was: thanks to conservation efforts, the North Atlantic right whale has been making a timid recovery since 2020, and the current year is the most promising in a long time from a reproductive point of view. NOAA certifies it, inaugurating the reproductive year of the North Atlantic right whale with good news.
An uphill road. The breeding season of the North Atlantic right whale is in the middle of winter: these cetaceans give birth to their calves in the waters of the southeastern United States, after which they migrate north in search of food. NOAA says 15 new hatchlings were identified this year, bringing the population to 384 – 7% more than it was in 2020.
50 specimens are missing per year. It is a good increase, but we are still far from ideal numbers: according to NOAA, to really replenish the North Atlantic right whale population, at least 50 new specimens should be born every year “for several years”, we read on the site.
It is true that this year the winter is not over yet and technically there would still be time to increase from 15 to 50, but according to experts it is impossible for that to happen: there are still too few fertile females to reach these numbers.
Conservation and conflicts of interest. In short, if on the one hand it is true that the new census of the North Atlantic right whale contains good news, it is also true that there is still a lot of work to be done: according to experts, it is impossible to think that the population will replenish itself. More attention is needed to the causes of death of this whale, such as “getting hit by a ship” and “getting trapped in a fishing net”.
The need for further conservation efforts clashes with the demands of fishermen. This conflict of interest is leading to a suspension of North Atlantic right whale protection rules: they are currently on hold until 2028.
