One of just four North Atlantic right whale calves spotted off the southeast coast of the United States so far this winter was discovered last week to have suffered deep propeller wounds to both sides of its head. The two S-shaped gashes observed by the survey team were most likely caused by the propeller of a boat, but humans will probably not be able to intervene and help the calf. The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Centuries of commercial hunting nearly wiped the whales out, but their numbers grew at an annual rate of 2.8% between 1990 and 2010, when the population peaked at about 480 individuals. Since 2010, however, the population has been on the decline once again, due almost entirely to the impacts of human activities, especially collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing gear.
Atlantic Northern Right Whale mother and calf. Photo Credit: NOAA.
— source news.mongabay.com | 17 Jan 2020