Fishing Runs Afoul of Right Whales

The year 2002 has been a bad one for the North Atlantic right whale, the most endangered great whale living off the eastern seaboard of the United States and Canada. Once targeted as the "right" whale to kill because of its valuable oil and tendency to float once harpooned, this creature has suffered from frequent ship strikes and from becoming snarled in fishing gear. There are thought to be no more than 300 individuals in this population of whales.

Right whale #1424 was first spotted entangled off the Florida coast in February and last seen when this picture was taken in June. NMFS

Over the summer, at least eight right whales have become tangled in fishing nets. One was released recently with the help of a network established from Florida to the Bay of Fundy by the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS), but seven more remain. Five are considered in poor condition and little is known about the other two. They do not have locator beacons attached to the netting they are dragging. These floating devices not only help to find the whales but sometimes provide just enough pull to peel the netting from them.

Snarled right whales are hard to rescue. According to Scott Landry, spokesman for the rescue team of CCS, the whales are very difficult to find, ranging over a thousand miles. Once encountered by a team, the whales tend to be unwilling participants and can be aggressive.

In addition to these seven, three right whales have been found dead so far this year. Unless fishing techniques change in the vast waters inhabited by these ancient beings, their future appears bleak.