What Hope for North Atlantic Right Whales?

In the early 1800s the once abundant North Atlantic right whale was believed to be extinct. But by mid-century the species had been ‘rediscovered’, and hunting was resumed until 1918, when the whales were again in trouble. In 1935 all right whales became fully protected by an international convention, and in the 1950s the North Atlantic population was once again ‘rediscovered’. Today, after nearly 50 years of protection and slow recovery, the author assesses the present status of the North Atlantic population. Surveys showed disappointing results until in 1980 a survey of the lower Bay of Fundy (prompted by the threat of an oil refinery being built there) revealed surprisingly high numbers. Another survey in 1981, in which the author also took part, has shown the Grand Manan Island region to be a summer and autumn assembly site for at least several dozen of these endangered whales, including a number of cows and calves. This may be a key area for the North Atlantic right whale's survival.

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Comparison of genetic variability of North and South Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena), using DNA fingerprinting

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z97-129 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 75 (7) ◽

pp. 1073-1080 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Catherine M. Schaeff ◽

Scott D. Kraus ◽

Moira W. Brown ◽

Judy S. Perkins ◽

Roger Payne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variability ◽

North Atlantic ◽

Population Data ◽

South Atlantic ◽

North Atlantic Right Whale ◽

Right Whale ◽

The North ◽

Sharing Values ◽

Right Whales ◽

North Atlantic Right Whales

The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is the most endangered large whale in the world and shows few signs of recovery despite over 60 years of protection. In contrast, the South Atlantic right whale (E. australis), a closely related species, appears to be recovering successfully. Using DNA extracted from skin biopsy samples and two hypervariable minisatellite probes, we compared the levels of genetic diversity within the two populations. Our results revealed that unrelated North Atlantic (NA) right whales exhibit significantly less genetic variation than unrelated South Atlantic (SA) right whales (Jeffreys 33.15 (J33.15) probe: SNA-U-observed = 0.56 versus SSA-U-observed = 0.37, p < 0.01; M13 probe: SNA-U-observed = 0.74 versus SSA-U-observed = 0.46, p < 0.01). The level of band sharing among unrelated North Atlantic right whales was greater than that predicted for second-degree-related South Atlantic right whales (J33.15: SNA-U-observed = 56 versus SSA-2°-expected = 0.53, p < 0.05; M13: SNA-U-observed = 0.74 versus SSA-2°-expected = 0.60, p < 0.01), indicating that the northern animals have lost a substantial amount of genetic variability. Observed band sharing among North Atlantic first-degree relatives was lower than expected, based on band sharing among unrelated animals (J33.15: SNA-1°-observed = 0.67 versus SNA-1°-expected = 0.78, p < 0.01; M13: SNA-1°-observed = 0.83 versus SNA-1°-expected = 0.87, p = 0.15). This suggests that the matings between closely related individuals that would have resulted in the higher band-sharing values were unsuccessful. These results, in conjunction with behavioral and population data which indicate that North Atlantic right whales may be suffering from reduced fertility, fecundity, and juvenile survivorship, support the hypothesis that inbreeding depression is influencing the recovery of this species.

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Genetic analysis of 16th-century whale bones prompts a revision of the impact of Basque whaling on right and bowhead whales in the western North Atlantic

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z04-146 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 82 (10) ◽

pp. 1647-1654 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Toolika Rastogi ◽

Moira W Brown ◽

Brenna A McLeod ◽

Timothy R Frasier ◽

Robert Grenier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Analysis ◽

North Atlantic ◽

North Atlantic Right Whale ◽

Bowhead Whales ◽

Right Whale ◽

The North ◽

Dramatic Decline ◽

Right Whales ◽

The North Atlantic ◽

The Impact

The North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis (Müller, 1776), is one of the world's most endangered large cetaceans. It is widely believed that Basque whalers caused the most dramatic decline of this species in the western North Atlantic during the early-16th and 17th centuries. Previous osteological analysis of 17 historic bones suggested that 50% of the Basque harvest consisted of right whales and 50% of bowhead whales, Balaena mysticetus L., 1758. This 50:50 ratio has been used to estimate pre-exploitation population size, which has subsequently formed the basis of recovery goals and plans for the North Atlantic right whale. Genetic analysis of 21 bones, 13 identified as right whales and 8 as bowhead whales through osteological examination, indicates that in fact only 1 bone was a right whale and 20 were bowhead whales. Additionally, preliminary microsatellite analyses of this specimen are not consistent with the hypothesis that whaling resulted in the low genetic variation found in this species today. These results differ from what would be expected based on any previous view of Basque whaling, and raise questions regarding the impact of Basque whaling on this species.

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Ocean Regime Shift is Driving Collapse of the North Atlantic Right Whale Population

Oceanography ◽

10.5670/oceanog.2021.308 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 34 (3) ◽

pp. 22-31

Author(s):

Erin Meyer-Gutbrod ◽

◽

Charles Greene ◽

Kimberley Davies ◽

David Johns

Keyword(s):

North Atlantic ◽

Regime Shift ◽

Gulf Of Maine ◽

Scotian Shelf ◽

North Atlantic Right Whale ◽

Right Whale ◽

The North ◽

Right Whales ◽

The North Atlantic ◽

Foraging Environment

Ocean warming linked to anthropogenic climate change is impacting the ecology of marine species around the world. In 2010, the Gulf of Maine and Scotian Shelf regions of the Northwest Atlantic underwent an unprecedented regime shift. Forced by climate-driven changes in the Gulf Stream, warm slope waters entered the region and created a less favorable foraging environment for the endangered North Atlantic right whale population. By mid-decade, right whales had shifted their late spring/summer foraging grounds from the Gulf of Maine and the western Scotian Shelf to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The population also began exhibiting unusually high mortality in 2017. Here, we report that climate-driven changes in ocean circulation have altered the foraging environment and habitat use of right whales, reducing the population’s calving rate and exposing it to greater mortality risks from ship strikes and fishing gear entanglement. The case of the North Atlantic right whale provides a cautionary tale for the management of protected species in a changing ocean.

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