Advocates Warn Endangered, Whale Population, Dangerously Low.
ABC reports that a type of whale, one of the rarest marine mammals in the world, lost nearly 10% of its population in 2020.
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In 2019, the North Atlantic right whale numbered only 366.
According to the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, its population fell to 336 in 2020.
ABC reports that the right whales, once abundant in the waters off New England, were decimated during the commercial whaling era.
They have been listed as endangered by the United States government for over fifty years.
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No one engaged in right whale work believes that the species cannot recover from this, Scott Kraus, Chair of the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, via ABC.
They absolutely can, if we stop killing them and allow them to allocate energy to finding food, mates and habitats that aren’t marred with deadly obstacles, Scott Kraus, Chair of the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, via ABC.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned that the consortium's estimate has not yet been peer reviewed.
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However, Allison Ferreira, a spokesperson for the federal agency said NOAA shares the group's concern for the right whales.
North Atlantic right whales are one of the most imperiled species on the planet, and the latest estimate shows that the substantial downward trajectory of right whale abundance documented over the last decade continues, Allison Ferreira, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokesperson, via ABC