North Atlantic Right Whale

Species: 

Eubalaena glacialis

IUCN Status: 

Critically Endangered
Photo: Katie Jackson, FWC, taken under NOAA Fisheries Permit #932-1905/MA-009526

The small population of North Atlantic right whales is in danger of extinction. These whales were hunted nearly to extinction by commercial whalers by the end of the 1700s, but today are at risk from entanglement in fishing gear and boat strikes.   

At least 82% of the North Atlantic right whale population has been entangled at least once; evidence shows that individuals often become entangled many times in their lives (Knowlton et al 2011). Between 1980 and 2008, a total of 960 unique right whale entanglements were detected (Knowlton et al 2011). Since the early 1990s, it appears that the severity of entanglements is increasing, and documented mortalities as a consequence of entanglement occur regularly.

Knowlton, AR, PK Hamilton, MK Marx, HM Pettis, and SD Kraus. 2011. Final report on 2007/2008 right whale entanglement scar coding efforts. Final Report to National Marine Fisheries Service. New England Aquarium, Boston, MA. 

Bycatch Threat: 

Trap lines, gillnets, longlines

Population: 

336 individuals (2021)
Western North Atlantic

Type: 

Mammal

Featured: 

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Related Field Studies

Location Gear Technique Species Results Catch Effect on Target Catch Type Reference
New England Traps Weak links/ropes Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters) Indeterminate given rarity of encounters Lobster, Whelk, Black Sea Bass None Field study in the wild Development and Evaluation of Reduced Breaking Strength Rope to Reduce Large Whale Entanglement Severity
US Atlantic Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters) Information suggests that on average entanglements increase drag and propulsive power by 1.47 fold. Reducing trailing line length by 75% can reduce parasitic gear drag by 85%. N/A N/A Summary study Drag from fishing gear entangling North Atlantic right whales
Northwest Atlantic Traps Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters) N/A N/A N/A Summary study Fishing gear involved in entanglements of right and humpback whales
Northwest Atlantic Traps Sub-surface bait setting Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters) N/A Lobster N/A Summary study Review of sinking groundline performance in the Maine lobster fishery, with recommendations for improving its fishability
Northwest Atlantic Traps At-call pop-up buoys Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters) Not tested Lobster Not tested Study in the lab Acoustically triggered buoyless lobster trap recovery system
Northwest Atlantic Non-specific Weak links/ropes Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters) N/A N/A N/A Summary study 2008 Supplement to the large whale gear research summary
Northwest Atlantic Non-specific Weak links/ropes Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters) N/A N/A N/A Summary study 2006 Supplement to the large whale gear research summary
Northwest Atlantic Traps Quick-release gear, Weak links/ropes Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters) n/a n/a n/a Summary study 2003 Supplement to the large whale gear research summary
Northwest Atlantic Traps Buoy lines with reduced breaking strength, Quick-release gear, Weak links/ropes Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters) N/A N/A N/A Summary study Large whale gear research summary
Gillnets Acoustic deterrent devices, Passive acoustic deterrents Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters), Small Cetaceans (maximum length < 7.5 meters) Net alarms do not appear ver effective in reducing small cetacean entanglements in gillnets N/A N/A Summary study Acoustic methods of reducing or eliminating marine mammal-fishery interactions: do they work?
Atlantic and Indian Oceans Surrounding nets Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters), Small Cetaceans (maximum length < 7.5 meters) n/a N/A N/A Summary study Cetaceans and tuna purse seine fisheries in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans: interactions but few mortalitites
Worldwide and Iceland Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters), Phocoena phocoena (Harbor porpoise), Demochelys coriacea (Leatherback sea turtle) n/a n/a n/a Study in the lab Marine animal entanglements in mussel aquaculture gear: Documented cases from mussel farming regions of the world including first-hand accounts from Iceland
New South Wales, Australia Traps Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters), Small Cetaceans (maximum length < 7.5 meters) n/a n/a n/a Summary study Long-term trends in cetacean incidents in New South Wales, Australia
Hauruki Gulf, New Zealand Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters) N/A N/A N/A Summary study Mitigation of vessel-strike mortality of endangered Bryde's whales in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand
Oregon Acoustic deterrent devices Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters) Inconclusive N/A N/A Field study in the wild Testing the effectiveness of an acoustic deterrent for gray whales along the Oregon Coast
South Georgia Hooks-and-Lines Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters), Physeter macrocephalus (Sperm whale), Pinnipeds Sperm whales interacted with longlines 25% of the time; orcas interacted only 5% of the time could remove half of the catch; fur seal interactions have declined since 2009 Patagonian toothfish Catch rates were lower when marine mammals were present Field study in the wild The impact of predation by marine mammals on Patagonian toothfish longline fisheries
Review Gillnets Low profile gillnet Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters), Small Cetaceans (maximum length < 7.5 meters), Pinnipeds, Seabirds, Sea Turtles Summary study Reducing bycatch in gillnets: A sensory ecology perspective
Peru Hooks-and-Lines Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters), Megaptera novaeangliae (Humpback whale) None tested Various None tested Summary study Entanglements of large cetaceans in Peru: few records by high risk
Peru Gillnets Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters), Megaptera novaeangliae (Humpback whale) None tested Various None tested Summary study Entanglements of large cetaceans in Peru: few records by high risk
Non-specific Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters), Small Cetaceans (maximum length < 7.5 meters) Gillnets posed the most risk to cetaceans n/a n/a Summary study A risk-based approach to rapidly screen vulnerability of cetaceans to impacts from fisheries bycatch
Brazil Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters), Megaptera novaeangliae (Humpback whale), Small Cetaceans (maximum length < 7.5 meters) n/a n/a n/a Field study in the wild Accidents between artisanal fisheries and cetaceans on the Brazilian coast and Central Amazon: proposals for integrated management
Mingan Archipelago, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec, Canada Non-specific Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters) Decreased feeding ability of balenopterid whales Unknown but likely crab and whelk Not applicable Field study in the wild Decreased feeding ability of a minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) with entanglement-like injuries
Alaska Acoustic deterrent devices Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters) Excluded whales Salmon Field study in the wild Killer whale, Orcinus orca, sound repel white whales, Delphinapterus leucas
California Acoustic deterrent devices Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters) Whales left area Sablefish Field study in the wild Gray whales, Eschrichtius robustus, avoid the underwater sounds of killer whales, Orcinus orca.
Alaska Hooks-and-Lines Acoustic deterrent devices Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters) Did not deter killer whales Sablefish Field study in the wild The Killer Whales of Prince William Sound. Prince William Sound Books, Valdez, AK.
Alaska Hooks-and-Lines Acoustic deterrent devices Large Cetaceans (maximum length > 7.5 meters) Did not deter killer whales Sablefish Field study in the wild Killer whale (Orcinus orca) depredation on longline catches of sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) in Alaskan waters