Page 60 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #05

AGENDA NEWS

Q EXPERT BRIEFING
CONSERVATION

INSIGHT

NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE

WITHOUT CHANGES TO HUMAN
ACTIVITY THIS SPECIES COULD BE
FUNCTIONALLY EXTINCT IN 20-25
YEARS, SAYS REGINA ASMUTIS-SILVIA.

here may be only 450 causes of whale mortality, but
North Atlantic right whales while the threat from ships
Tleft today, making it one of has decreased in US waters,
the rarest of the baleen whales. increasing numbers are dying
Between April 2017 and January in lines fixed to lobster and
2018 some 18 individuals are crab pots, and fixed nets.
known to have died – four per This may be because of the
cent of the population. greater strength of the ropes
All right whales, including used in these industries or
the two other species – the because the whales have shifted
Southern and North Pacific, are where they feed to
characterised by their huge areas not considered MORE ARE
heads, lack of dorsal fins and important
white callosities – rough under previous ` DYING IN
patches of skin that turn white management plans. LINES FIXED
because of lice and barnacle Our current
colonies that live on them. focus is to reduce TO LOBSTER
Today, North Atlantic right entanglement in the AND CRAB
whales are mainly found along fixed-gear fisheries. POTS, AND
the eastern seaboard of North We believe the
America, roughly from the greatest risk to the FIXED NETS.”
Gulf of St Lawrence to Florida, whales comes from
and primarily within 50km of the vertical lines
the coastline. that attach the marker buoys
Where they now live exposes
to the pots on the seabed, and
N ck Hawk ns/naturepl.com them to high levels of human we are working on a solution
that does away with the need
impacts, including shipping,
fishing, pollution and noise.
for these lines.
Ship strikes and entanglement
We have previously shown
that we can find the answers
in fishing gear are the two main
to problems like this – since
North Atlantic a seasonal, 10 knot (19kmh)
right whale range
speed limit was put in place
for vessels, whale mortality from
ship strikes in US waters has
reduced by 80–90 per cent.
REGINA ASMUTIS-SILVIA is executive
director (North America) for Whale and
Dolphin Conservation ((WDC). ) Slower ship speeds pose
A T L A N T I C less of a threat to the few
O C E A N remaining North Atlantic
+ FIND OUT MORE right whales but fishing
Whale and Dolphin methods are still killing
Conservation: bit.ly/2tqQPk7 these large mammals.

60 BBC Wildlife Spring 2018