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 mother and calf
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| Eubalaena glacialis |
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 Range map
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The North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis which meant "good, or true, whale of the ice,") is a baleen whale, one of three right whale species belonging to the genus Eubalaena,1 which was formerly classified as a single species. About 400 North Atlantic Right Whales live in the North Atlantic Ocean.
350 to 400 North Atlantic whales that exist today travel between feeding grounds in the Gulf Of Maine and wintering sojourn and calving areas in Georgia and Florida. This is an ocean stretch with heavy shipping traffic. Like other right whales, the North Atlantic Right Whale is readily distinguished from other whales by the callosities on its head, a broad back without a dorsal fin, and a long arching mouth that begins above the eye. The body of the whale is very dark grey or black, occasionally with some white patches on the belly. The right whale's callosities appear white, not due to skin pigmentation, but to large colonies of cyamids or whale lice.
Adult right whales average 35–55 feet (11–17 m) in length and weigh up to 70 tons (63,500 kg); the largest measured have been 60 feet (18 m) long and 117 tons (106,500 kg). Females are larger than males and first give birth at age 9 or 10 after a yearlong gestation; the interval between births seems to have increased in recent years and now averages three to six years. Calves are 13–15 feet (4.0–4.6 m) long at birth. There is little data on their life span, but it is believed to be at least 50 years, and closely related species may live more than a century.
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Whaling
Right whales were so named because whalers thought they were the "right" whale to hunt. 40% of a right whale's body weight is blubber, which is of relatively low density. Consequently, unlike many other species of whale, dead right whales float. Combined with the right whale's slowness through water they were easy to catch even for whalers equipped only with wooden boats and hand-held harpoons.
The Basques were the first to commercially hunt the North Atlantic Right Whale. They began doing so as early as the 11th century in the Bay of Biscay. The whales were hunted initially for their oil but, as meat preservation technology improved, the animal was also used for food. Basque whalers reached eastern Canada by 15303 and the shores of Todos os Santos Bay (in Bahia, Brazil) by 1602. The last Basque whaling voyages were made prior to the commencement of the Seven Year's War (1756-1763). A few unsuccessful attempts were made to revive the trade, but they all failed. Basque shore whaling continued sporadically into the 19th century.
Setting out from Nantucket, Massachusetts and Long Island, New York, the Americans were able to take up to 100 right whales some years. By 1750 the North Atlantic Right Whale was as good as extinct for commercial purposes and the Yankee whalers moved into the South Atlantic before the end of the 18th century.
As it became clear that stocks were nearly depleted, a worldwide total ban on right whaling was agreed upon in 1937. The ban was largely successful, although some whaling continued in violation of the ban for several decades. Madeira took its last two right whales in 1968.
Shipping
Recent reports have stated that the greatest danger to the North Atlantic Right Whale is is injury sustained from being struck by ships.4 Deaths from collisions with shipping is now proving to be an extinction threat. 5 In 2007 The US government changed shipping routes out of Boston in an attempt to reduce whale strikes, in particular to the North Atlantic Right Whale.6
Population and distribution
There are about 400 North Atlantic Right Whales, almost all living in the Western North Atlantic Ocean. In spring, summer and autumn, they feed in areas off the Canadian and north-east US coasts in a range stretching from New York to Nova Scotia. Particularly popular feeding areas are the Bay of Fundy and Cape Cod Bay. In winter, they head south towards Georgia and Florida to give birth.
There have been a smattering of sightings further east over the past few decades—several sightings were made close to Iceland in 2003. It is possible that these are the remains of a virtually extinct eastern Atlantic stock, but examination of old whalers' records suggest that they are more likely to be strays from further west.3 However, a few sightings are regular between Norway, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands, inside of the Mediterranean Sea, and even Italy7 and Sicily8 and at least the Norway individuals come from the Western stock.9
References
- ^ a b Mead, James G. and Robert L. Brownell, Jr (November 16, 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 723–743. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ^ Reilly, S.B., Bannister, J.L., Best, P.B., Brown, M., Brownell Jr., R.L., Butterworth, D.S., Clapham, P.J., Cooke, J., Donovan, G.P., Urbán, J. & Zerbini, A.N. (2008). Eubalaena glacialis. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2008. Retrieved on 7 October 2008.
- ^ a b Kenney, Robert D. (2002). "North Atlantic, North Pacific and Southern Right Whales", in William F. Perrin, Bernd Wursig and J. G. M. Thewissen: The Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Academic Press, 806–813. ISBN 0-12-551340-2.
- ^ Vanderlaan & Taggart (2007). "Vessel collisions with whales: the probability of lethal injury based on vessel speed" (PDF). Mar. Mam. Sci. Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
- ^ BBC News | SCI/TECH | Shipping threat to endangered whale
- ^ North Atlantic Right Whale Ship Strike Reduction - Office of Protected Resources - NOAA Fisheries
- ^ Notarbartolo di Sciara, G., E. Politi, A. Bayed, P.-C. Beaubrun and A. Knowlton (1998). "A winter cetacean survey off Southern Morocco, with a special emphasis on suitable habitats for wintering right whales". Sci. Rep. Int. Whaling Commission, SC/49/O3, 48: 547-550.
- ^ Martin AR, Walker FJ (1996-05-16). "SIGHTING OF A RIGHT WHALE (EUBALAENA GLACIALIS) WITH CALF OFF S. W. PORTUGAL". Marine Mammal Science 13 (1): 139. doi:, http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119947961/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0. Retrieved on 26 October 2006.
- ^ Jacobsen KO, Marx M, Øien N (2003-05-21). TWO-WAY TRANS-ATLANTIC MIGRATION OF A NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE (EUBALAENA GLACIALIS). 20. pp. 161. doi:, http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119922229/abstract. Retrieved on 26 October 2006.
External links
- "Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society"
- "Giants in the Balance: The Race to Save the North Atlantic Right Whale"
- Hear right whale audio (U. of R.I., Office of Marine Programs)
- Watch video of northern right whales
- Research showing the need for speed restrictions to save the North Atlantic Right Whale
- American Cetacean Society
- NOAA
- Right Whale Listening Network has acoustic autobuoys in between the lanes of the Traffic Separation Scheme approaching Boston.
