Right Whale Issues

The North Atlantic and North Pacific right whales (Eubalaena glacialis and E. japonica, respectively) are among the most endangered large whales, and endangered mammals in the world. They were the "right" whale to kill by early whalers, since they lived close to shore, were slow swimmers, & produced abundant oil when their fat layer was melted down.

Southern right whales Eubalena australis were also heavily exploited, but appear to be recovering well throughout much of their range.

Although right whales received official protection from killing in the 1930's, illegal and "scientific" hunts by the Soviet Union as recently as the late 1950's and early 1960's have impeded recovery in the North Pacific.

Today, right whales only number 300-350 in the North Atlantic. Their population is only in the high 10's to low 100's in the Eastern North Pacific, and a small population of unknown size exists in the western North Pacific ocean.

Although reliable estimates of the total number of southern right whales are not available, it is certain that the entire population is at least several thousand. Several populations of southern right whales have been the focus of long-term research. Some, such as those off the eastern & western shores of southern Africa have been increasing their numbers rapidly recently. Other populations of southern right whales seem to be increasing only slowly.

The right whales in the North Atlantic ocean have also been extensively studied. They suffer problems from entanglements in fixed fishing gear and collisions with large ships. Because their populations went so low, they also appear to have lost genetic diversity. As a 50-ton plus animal feeding only on plankton, they seem susceptible to years when they do not have enough surplus energy to reproduce; in the North Atlantic, very low calf counts were seen throughout the latter half of the 1990's.

Because these animals are so endangered, ACS has a policy to do whatever it can to aid in their recovery, especially to try to limit human-caused deaths from entanglement and ship strikes.

Recent work has shown that if the current trend continues, North Atlantic right whales will be extinct within two hundred years; yet if we can save one adult female per year from a human-caused death, the population will start to increase.