One of World's Rarest Whales Gets a Bit of Good News

One of the rarest whales on the planet has continued an encouraging trend of population growth in the wake of new efforts to protect the giant animals, according to scientists who study them. The North Atlantic right whale now numbers an estimated 384 animals, up eight whales from the previous year, according to a report by the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium released on Tuesday. The whales have shown a trend of slow population growth over the past four years and have gained more than 7% of their 2020 population, reports the AP.

The population of the whales, which are vulnerable to collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing gear, fell about 25% from 2010 to 2020. The whale's trend toward recovery is a testament to the importance of conservation measures, said Philip Hamilton, a senior scientist with the New England Aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life. New management measures in Canada that attempt to keep the whales safe amid their increased presence in the Gulf of St. Lawrence have been especially important. "We know that a modest increase every year, if we can sustain it, will lead to population growth," Hamilton said. "It's just whether or not we can sustain it."

Scientists have cautioned in recent years that the whale's slow recovery is happening at a time when the giant animals still face threats from accidental deaths, and that stronger conservation measures are needed. But there are also reasons to believe the whales are turning a corner. They're less likely to reproduce when they've suffered injuries or are underfed. However, this year, four mother whales had calves for the first time. And some other, established mother whales had shorter intervals between calves. In total, 11 calves were born, which is fewer than what researchers had hoped for, but the entry of new females into the reproductive pool is encouraging, Hamilton said.

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Any number of calves is helpful in a year of no mortalities, said Heather Pettis, who leads the right whale research program at the Cabot Center and chairs the NARWC. "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," Pettis said. "What we've seen before is this population can turn on a dime."