Ocean conservation groups are calling for urgent updates to shipping and vessel speed restrictions within the North Atlantic to give the world’s rarest cetacean, the North Atlantic Right Whale, a fighting chance of swimming back from the brink of extinction.

Representatives of the global NGO Oceana have accused US and North American shipping authorities of idling over the implementation of plans that could have prevented the ‘slow, painful, and needless deaths’ of five right whale calves this year alone. Each had been the victim of a boat strike within their ocean habitat.

The call follows the release of a new estimate this week from the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium (NARWC) which finds the critically endangered whale population remains at severe risk of extinction. According to NARWC’s 2023 collated data, only 372 North Atlantic Right Whales are now living in the wild.

The death of five calves in 2024 to date, therefore, comes as a severe blow to a population ‘on the brink of extinction.’

While the latest estimate reflects a slight growth in population numbers from the 356 North Atlantic Right Whales estimated to be living in the wild (collated from 2022 data), it’s a long way off the kind of repopulation needed to rescue the species.

Calls are therefore being made upon those at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Transport Canada approve and implement’ the updated vessel speed rule ahead of this year’s calving season.

“While the increase in population is hopeful, the North Atlantic right whales washing up dead on our shores speak for themselves – we must stop killing them,” said Gib Brogan, campaign director at Oceana in the United States.

“Five of this year’s calves were killed or are missing and presumed dead, including the first calf of the season who was struck by a boat and died a slow, painful, and preventable death. 

“NOAA’s proposed vessel speed rule to update slow zones for ships would have protected these whales when they were at their most vulnerable, but this plan is gathering dust for more than 800 days. President Biden must approve and implement the updated vessel speed rule soon, before we see moms and calves on our shores this season instead of in our waters.”

Collisions with boats is a leading cause of North Atlantic right whale injury and death. Swimming at around six miles an hour and usually near to the water’s surface, the right whale is particularly vulnerable to collisions. Their situation isn’t helped by their very dark colour while their lack of a dorsal fin makes them very hard for ships to spot. 

Studies have found that the speed of a vessel is a major factor in vessel-related collisions with North Atlantic right whales. At high speeds, vessels cannot manoeuver to avoid them, while the whales swim too slowly to be able to move out of the way. This puts them at greater risk of being struck which can cause deadly injuries from blunt-force trauma or cuts from propellers.

Another leading cause of death among the species is entanglement in fishing gear used to catch lobster and crab. Around one-quarter of the right whale population is entangled in fishing gear from the US and Canada each year, and about 85% have been entangled at least once.

“While today’s news that the North Atlantic right population has increased slightly is positive, the threats of vessel strikes and entanglement remain present,” said Kim Elmslie, campaign director at Oceana Canada. “Right whales have faced a devastating year, with nine deaths and five entanglements; and those are just the ones we know about.

“More must and can be done to stop the two major threats to right whale’s survival. To ensure whales and fisheries can coexist in Canada, the government must implement ropeless fishing gear in high-risk areas. Additionally, all vessel slowdowns must be mandatory and be applied throughout the range where right whales are found to reduce ship strikes.”

Oceana isn’t alone in its call. A national poll conducted in 2024 found that 86% of American voters agreed with greater protection for North Atlantic right whales from human-caused threats. Eight in ten respondents were found to be in favour of government policy changes to save the species population from extinction.

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