New numbers collected by NOAA in recent months show a glimmer of hope for the critically endangered North Pacific right whale.
According to NOAA, North Pacific right whales are a critically endangered subspecies of Right Whales native to the frigid Pacific waters of the north, poorly understood by scientists due to their drastically low population numbers that are desperately trying to climb centuries after the age of whaling.
“Through these collaborative studies, we found 15 unique whales," NOAA Fisheries scientist Jessica Crance said in a press release. "In a population numbering in the dozens, that is remarkable, but discovering the juvenile was the best news. It’s the biggest sign of hope we have that there is at least one female still reproducing out there — that this population may yet have the ability to recover."
During a survey project conducted by the International Whaling Commission and Ecosystem Research cruises in the summer of 2017 and 2018, North Pacific right whales were systematically observed in remote Alaska waters, where a total of 15 North Pacific right whales — including four new ones and one juvenile — were documented. The presence of a new juvenile is promising for North Pacific right whales, ensuring that there is at least one female able to produce new whales for the subspecies, according to NOAA.
