The fewer than 350 North Atlantic right whales that remain need boaters with vessels as small as 30 feet in length to slow down to keep the whales and their passengers safe.
Nearing extinction, these whales migrate, breed and feed in the same coastal waters where people go boating and fishing, NOAA Fisheries said in a release in March.
“Since 1999, we have confirmed eight events in which North Atlantic right whales were struck by boats less than 65 feet long,” NOAA Fisheries said. “These strikes occurred across all seasons and were observed in waters off Massachusetts, New Jersey, Georgia and Florida. In seven of these incidents, the vessel operators did not see the whale prior to the strike.”
This Northern Atlantic right whale died after being struck by a boat propeller.
| By Pcb21 - NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries/Wikimedia Commons
Boat strikes cause many deaths in these whales. Most ships more than 65 feet in length must maintain speeds of 10 knots or less in certain areas and months of the year, but smaller vessels going fast can also injure or kill these whales, NOAA Fisheries said.
The North Atlantic right whales’ lack of a dorsal fin and dark color make them difficult to spot from a boat, especially when the weather is bad or the light is low. Female right whales and their calves are tricky to see even though they spend most of their time at or near the water's surface.
In 2010, the North Atlantic right whale population was already endangered, and its numbers began to decline more rapidly.
