This blog post presents an op-ed published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, highlighting the threats to survival faced by North Atlantic right whales and an upcoming documentary that raises awareness of their plight while encouraging action.
Traveling from the waters of eastern Canada down the Atlantic coast, female North Atlantic right whales rest and have their babies in the calmer, warmer waters of Georgia.
While the waters provide an ideal nursery for their young, they pose the deadly hazard of vessel strikes that too often result in the death of calves and mothers alike.
Take Infinity — a female whose newborn calf washed up dead on a Florida beach in February 2021— during Whale Week.
Days later, Infinity herself was seen north of the St. Augustine Inlet, alive, but with severe injuries from the same vessel strike that killed her calf. She has not been seen since. Infinity represents an especially devastating loss as a first-time mother whose future calves are now lost to her species.
Documentary outlines why regulations matter
Georgians will have an opportunity to learn more about the plight of this species through the documentary “The Right Whale: Tales of Resilience and Hope.”
Filmmakers Cheryl and Nick Dean are bringing the film to the Southeast as part of the Calving Grounds Tour, with a screening at the Georgia Aquarium on Aug. 19.
The film explores the deep contrast between the successful recovery of the southern right whale and its relative, the North Atlantic right whale, which is on the brink of extinction — with only about 70 reproductive females remaining.
Through a combination of imagery and science, the film demonstrates that art can motivate action. By heeding the call of the documentary, Georgians will understand that we can prevent the right whale’s extinction through maintaining and strengthening regulations to mitigate threats to the species and put it on a path to recovery.
Despite decades of protection, the combination of debilitating and deadly entanglements and vessel strikes has curtailed recovery of this sea-dwelling giant. Since 2017, 176 whales, more than 20% of the surviving population, have been confirmed dead, seriously injured or in poor health.
Potential congressional and administrative actions to delay or roll back legal protections currently threaten the right whale’s future. A new bill, House Resolution 9436, seeks to extend the current legislative moratorium on new fishing gear regulations in New England from the end of 2028 through 2035.
If enacted, this bill will further delay increased protections against the entanglements that remain the greatest threat to the species’ survival and recovery.
Extinction is not inevitable for this mammal
This spring, the Trump administration announced its intention to roll back the current rule that slows down large vessels for several months in places where whales are most at risk.
Just like the slow zones near schools that protect students, the speed limit rule reduces often-fatal collisions between vessels and whales. The administration has suggested that it will eliminate or reduce this speed limit in favor of whale-detecting technologies.
However, these nascent technologies will likely not be a satisfactory substitute for the proven effectiveness of vessel speed limits. As recovery hangs in the balance, removing vital protections for these whales could be fatal.
So what more can we do?
Centuries of whaling followed by many decades of entanglements and vessel strikes have caused the species to become critically endangered. However, through increased awareness and concern for protecting these whales, we can reverse the extinction trajectory and put them firmly on the path to recovery.
The truth is: extinction is not inevitable for this species. Policy solutions are within reach. Rope-less fishing technologies show great promise for enabling fisheries and right whales to coexist in high-risk areas.
The current vessel speed rule can be maintained and expanded for greater protection of vulnerable mothers and calves in the southeastern calving grounds. But first we must come together to understand the North Atlantic right whale’s plight.
By engaging with art and community, we can learn more about North Atlantic right whales and advocate for the necessary conservation efforts to accelerate their recovery.
Katherine Sayler is the Southeast representative for Defenders of Wildlife, where she leads field research and advocates for lasting, science-based policies and enduring protections for the Atlantic Coast’s most vulnerable wildlife.
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