In a rare burst of good news for our oceans, the mighty North Atlantic right whale â one of the planet’s most endangered giants â is staging a comeback that has scientists cautiously celebrating.
The majestic creatures now number 384, up eight from last year. That might not sound like much, but for a species that was nearly wiped off the face of the Earth, every single whale counts.
After a devastating nosedive between 2010 and 2020 â when a quarter of the population vanished â these ocean giants have clawed their way back for four straight years. They’ve reclaimed more than 7% of what they lost.
“We know that a modest increase every year, if we can sustain it, will lead to population growth,” said Philip Hamilton, a senior scientist with the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life. “It’s just whether or not we can sustain it.”
The whales face a gauntlet of threats: massive ships that can crush them in collisions, and fishing gear that can trap and slowly strangle them. For decades, these hazards pushed the species toward extinction.
But this year some glimmers of hope emerged. Four first-time moms gave birth, while veteran mothers started having babies closer together, with eleven calves arriving in total.
And not a single whale died this year, with injuries dropping dramatically.
“The slight increase in the population estimate, coupled with no detected mortalities and fewer detected injuries than in the last several years, leaves us cautiously optimistic about the future of North Atlantic right whales,” said Heather Pettis, who chairs the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium. “What we’ve seen before is this population can turn on a dime.”
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Protection measures in Canadian waters, particularly in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, have proven crucial. Scientists credit these safeguards â developed through collaboration between the New England Aquarium and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration â with giving the whales breathing room.
The whales undertake an epic annual journey from warm waters off Florida and Georgia, where they have their babies, all the way north to feast in the cold, food-rich waters off New England and Canada. But climate change has disrupted their ancient migration routes, forcing them to venture into unprotected waters to find enough to eat.
Hungry, injured whales don’t reproduce well â a vicious cycle that has kept the population dangerously low. But with healthier whales and new mothers joining the breeding population, the tide may finally be turning.
But conservationists warn the celebration needs to stay measured. These whales were killed by the thousands during the whaling era and remain federally protected today.
“Continued attacks on the Marine Mammal Protection Act and efforts to weaken Noaa’s science-based safeguards put this fragile population at even greater risk. We need Congress to uphold, not undermine, the laws, programs and experts that give North Atlantic right whales a fighting chance for continued survival,” said Gib Brogan, senior campaign director with Oceana.
For now, though, 384 right whales are swimming, eating, and â crucially â having babies. In the fight to save Earth’s most vulnerable creatures, that’s a win worth celebrating.
