scholarly journals Mortality and serious injury of northern right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) in the western North Atlantic Ocean

2020 ◽  
pp. 193-208
Author(s):  
Amy R. Knowlton ◽  
Scott D. Kraus
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Fishing Gear ◽  
Broken Bones ◽  
Right Whale ◽  
Right Whales ◽  
Ship Strike ◽  
Serious Injury ◽  
Serious Injuries

Northern right whales in the western North Atlantic number about 300 animals and have shown little sign of recovery in recent decades.Mortality and serious injury due to human activities, particularly commercial fishing and shipping, are thought to be significant factorslimiting their recovery. From 1970-1999, 45 right whale deaths were reliably documented. Sixteen of these fatalities (35.5%) were due toship collisions, and three (6.7%) were due to entanglement in fishing gear. The remainder were neonates (13; 28.9%) and ‘unknown cause’mortalities (13; 28.9%). Criteria for defining serious injuries and mortalities from entanglement or ship strikes were developed and includeany animal carrying fishing gear, cuts from entanglement or ship strike deeper than 8cm, swelling or necrosis, evidence of poor health fromsuch interactions, and, in carcasses, evidence of haematoma, haemorrhaging or broken bones. A total of 56 animals fitting the definedcriteria were documented from 1970-1999: 31 (55.4%) from entanglement and 25 (44.6%) from ship strikes. Nineteen were fatal (16 shipstrikes, 3 entanglements), 10 were possibly fatal (2 ship strikes, 8 entanglements) and 27 were non-fatal (7 ship strikes, 20 entanglements).The breakdown of potentially serious injuries by age and sex reveals no difference in levels between sexes but shows a 3.3:1 higher levelof interaction in juveniles and calves versus adults. The data show that ship strikes are more immediately lethal, but entanglements can resultin long term deterioration of an animal and may be responsible for higher levels of mortality than previously thought. Considering that someanimals become entangled, drown and never return to the surface, even these levels may be underestimated. Between 1986 and 1999, 84animals were presumed dead based on a lack of resightings for six years. There were 32 confirmed deaths during this time period suggestingthat at least as many unreported deaths occurred as carcasses were reported. Definitive actions need to be taken to reduce the level andseverity of anthropogenic injuries and deaths. Actions could include continued disentanglement efforts, gear modifications, seasonalclosures for fisheries, mandatory ship reporting, ships’ routing measures and speed restrictions for commercial shipping.

Fishing-gear threat to right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) in Canadian waters and the risk of lethal entanglement

2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (12) ◽  
pp. 2174-2193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelia S.M. Vanderlaan ◽  
R. Kent Smedbol ◽  
Christopher T. Taggart
Keyword(s):  
Relative Risk ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Eubalaena Glacialis ◽  
Bay Of Fundy ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Fishing Gear ◽  
Critical Habitat ◽  
North Atlantic Right Whale ◽  
Right Whale ◽  
Right Whales

Commercial fishing gear can potentially entangle any whale, and this is especially true for the endangered North Atlantic right whale ( Eubalaena glacialis ), for which entanglement is second only to vessel strike as being responsible for documented right whale deaths. We use right whale survey data and Canadian fishing-gear deployment data to estimate the relative threat of gear entanglement in a Scotia–Fundy study area and the relative risk of lethal entanglement in the Bay of Fundy and on Roseway Basin, Scotian Shelf, where Critical Habitat has been legislated. We focus on groundfish and pelagic hook-and-line; groundfish gillnet; and crab-, hagfish-, and inshore and offshore lobster-trap gear. Our analyses demonstrate that groundfish hook-and-line gear poses the greatest threat to right whales among the seven gear types analysed during the summer-resident period in Critical Habitat and that gear from the lobster fisheries poses the greatest threat during the spring and autumn periods when whales are migrating to and from Critical Habitat. We suggest that area-specific seasonal closures of some fisheries would reduce threat and risk to whales without unduly compromising fishing interests.

scholarly journals The Last 400 - Strategies for Saving North Atlantic Right Whales in Canada

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oceana ◽  
Holly Lake ◽  
Kim Elmslie ◽  
Lesley Wilmot
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Fishing Activity ◽  
North Atlantic Right Whale ◽  
Right Whale ◽  
Right Whales ◽  
North Atlantic Right Whales

Tragically, endangered North Atlantic right whales are killed each year in the watersalong the Atlantic Coast of Canada and the United States. Between 2012 and 2016,human activity killed an average of 5.6 of them every year. In recent years, more right whales are being spotted in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, likely due to the effects climate change is having on the distribution of their food source, and they have experiencedalarmingly high death rates in areas that are busy with commercial fishing activity and shipping traffic.The summer of 2017 was devastating for the population. A total of 17 North Atlantic right whale deaths were reported -12 of them in Canadian waters. The first dead whale was found on June 7 that year and by the end of the month, six had beenfound floating or washed ashore in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. History has repeated itself in 2019. From June to August, eight right whales were found dead in Canadian waters — including four within 48 hours— and four more were found entangled infishing gear.The winter started with much-needed hope and excitement with the birth of seven calves. But given that not every carcass is found, and that the death toll has already exceeded the number of known births, 2019 is yet another year of decline for right whales. What’s more, four of the eight deaths were reproductively active females, of which there are fewer than 100 left. On the surface, these numbers might not seem like much.However, North Atlantic right whales are among the most endangered species on the planet, and 2017 and 2019 have dealt catastrophic blows these animals could have done without. Given that only about 400 of them remain,10 the loss of 28 right whales over the last three years (17 in 2017, three in 2018 and eight in 2019) amounts to seven per cent of the species’ population.The North Atlantic right whale population is teetering on the brink of extinction. Many of the few remaining animals are dying horrible deaths as a result of ship strikes and entanglements in fishing gear. The whales that manage tosurvive injury are often left weak and vulnerable. Scientists have long known, and recent research confirms, that humans continue to cause a high rate of right whale deaths.Every single death deepens the urgency with which we must act to stop the tragedy unfolding in the Atlantic. Many people are working hard to save right whales, but more must be done.The Canadian government must do everything possible to halt this disastrous downturn. If nothing changes, we could witness the extinction of this species.

Visual health assessment of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) using photographs

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather M Pettis ◽  
Rosalind M Rolland ◽  
Philip K Hamilton ◽  
Solange Brault ◽  
Amy R Knowlton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Skin Condition ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Eubalaena Glacialis ◽  
Health Trends ◽  
Right Whale ◽  
Right Whales

Although trends in reproduction, mortality, and entanglement events have been analyzed for the endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) population, no method has been available to assess individual right whale health. Here, we describe a technique for assessing health based on evaluation of selected physical parameters from archived photographs of right whales. A scoring system was developed to assess body and skin condition, blowhole cyamids, and rake marks in over 200 000 photographs. Comparison of body condition scores of females during calving and noncalving years found that females were significantly thinner in calving years and in the year after calving compared with the year before calving, showing that changes in body condition known to occur during the reproductive cycle can be successfully evaluated from photographs. Comparison of scores for all parameters between living whales and whales with more than a 5-year gap in sighting history ("presumed dead") found that presumed dead whales received health assessment scores indicating compromised health with body condition emerging as a key visual indicator. This health assessment method provides a new tool to monitor health trends in right whales at individual and population levels and may provide a model for assessments of other well-photographed cetaceans.

scholarly journals How we can all stop killing whales: a proposal to avoid whale entanglement in fishing gear

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 781-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J Moore
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Water Column ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Cape Cod ◽  
Fishing Gear ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
North Atlantic Right Whale ◽  
Right Whale ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract Whales are federally protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act; endangered species, such as the North Atlantic right whale, receive additional protection under the Endangered Species Act. However, their regulations have failed to satisfy conservation and animal welfare concerns. From 1990 to 2011 the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis, NARW) population grew at a mean of 2.8% annually. However, population trends reversed since 2011; the species is in decline, with only ∼100 reproductively active females remaining. This failure is driven by vessel collisions and increasingly fatal and serious entanglement in fixed fishing gear, whose rope strength has increased substantially. Chronic entanglement, drag, and associated morbidity have been linked to poor fecundity. Genuine solutions involve designating areas to be avoided and speed restrictions for ships and removing fishing trap ropes from the water column. A trap fishing closure for NARW habitat in the Cape Cod Bay (U.S.) area has been in place seasonally since 2015. 2017 mortalities in Eastern Canada elicited substantive management changes whereby the 2018 presence of NARW in active trap fishing areas resulted in an effective closure. To avoid these costly closures, the traditional trap fishery model of rope end lines attached to surface marker buoys has to be modified so that traps are marked virtually, and retrieved with gear that does not remain in the water column except during trap retrieval. Consumer demand for genuinely whale-safe products will augment and encourage the necessary regulatory changes so that trap fisheries conserve target and nontarget species.

scholarly journals What Hope for North Atlantic Right Whales?

Oryx ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-262
Author(s):  
Randall Reeves
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Oil Refinery ◽  
North Atlantic Right Whale ◽  
International Convention ◽  
Atlantic Population ◽  
Right Whale ◽  
The North ◽  
Right Whales ◽  
North Atlantic Right Whales ◽  
The North Atlantic

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.

scholarly journals Dangerous dining: surface foraging of North Atlantic right whales increases risk of vessel collisions

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan E. Parks ◽  
Joseph D. Warren ◽  
Karen Stamieszkin ◽  
Charles A. Mayo ◽  
David Wiley
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Foraging Ecology ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Cape Cod ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Right Whale ◽  
Suction Cup ◽  
Right Whales ◽  
North Atlantic Right Whales

North Atlantic right whales are critically endangered and, despite international protection from whaling, significant numbers die from collisions with ships. Large groups of right whales migrate to the coastal waters of New England during the late winter and early spring to feed in an area with large numbers of vessels. North Atlantic right whales have the largest per capita record of vessel strikes of any large whale population in the world. Right whale feeding behaviour in Cape Cod Bay (CCB) probably contributes to risk of collisions with ships. In this study, feeding right whales tagged with archival suction cup tags spent the majority of their time just below the water's surface where they cannot be seen but are shallow enough to be vulnerable to ship strike. Habitat surveys show that large patches of right whale prey are common in the upper 5 m of the water column in CCB during spring. These results indicate that the typical spring-time foraging ecology of right whales may contribute to their high level of mortality from vessel collisions. The results of this study suggest that remote acoustic detection of prey aggregations may be a useful supplement to the management and conservation of right whales.

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

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (7) ◽  
pp. 1073-1080 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Spatial Management to Reduce Entanglement Risk to North Atlantic Right Whales in Fishing Gear: A Case Study of U.S. Northeast Lobster Fishery 2002–2009

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn D. Bisack ◽  
Gisele M. Magnusson
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Decision Rules ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Right Whale ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Right Whales ◽  
North Atlantic Right Whales ◽  
Lobster Fishery

Despite the use of gear requirements and access restrictions to manage lobster fishery interactions with north Atlantic right whales since 1997, the population is likely below 370 animals. The Dynamic Area Management (DAM) program (2002–2009) used “real-time” right whale sightings data to provide temporary protection using closures or whale-modified-gear to reduce entanglement. Our ex-post evaluation uses a flexible framework to identify strengths and weaknesses of the program. Biological and economic implications of the program are evaluated using a relative risk of entanglement index (RREI) calculated with spatially and temporally explicit data on density of right whales and fishing effort. An illustrative closure optimization model demonstrates the trade-offs between the non-monetary benefits of risk reduction and the opportunity cost of closures under alternative decision rules (benefit-ranking and cost-effectiveness). Annual aerial sampling to detect DAM areas was low (&lt;3%), yet in some months’ the 17% of area covered by all northeast right whale management areas encompassed up to 70% of the region’s population. Despite their small spatial footprint, dynamic and static measures may have reduced total risk by 6.5% on average, and DAM zones may have created an indirect economic incentive for some fishers to adopt the whale-modified-gear. Similar RREI index values in some months with inverse levels of fishing effort and whale presence highlight the need to consider fishing and whales jointly to reduce risk. These temporal-spatial patterns are critical in policy instrument design. Further, optimization results illustrate how different decision rules can attain equivalent non-monetary benefits of risk reduction at different opportunity costs to industry; the implications of whale-modified-gear and compliance factors are explored. We recommend that DAMs be considered as part of a suite of policy instruments, and highlight how recent technological advances may support lower cost data collection and faster implementation given limited public sector budgets. This case study highlights the need for evaluation of past policy instruments with a lens beyond biological outcomes, and sets the stage for further empirical analysis to better understand harvester responses to management measures designed to protect right whales and the resulting private and public sector trade-offs.

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