North Atlantic right whale #4120 documented with two lines exiting the left side of the mouth on December 9, 2024. Credit: NOAA Fisheries, taken under permit #27066.
North Atlantic right whale #5110 documented with line wrapped around the head and the body on December 9, 2024. Credit: NOAA Fisheries, taken under NOAA permit #27066.
NANTUCKET – Experts are responding to two North Atlantic right whales sighted entangled in fishing gear southeast of Nantucket.
The first was identified as a juvenile native to Cape Cod Bay with a serious injury across his head and back, while the second is an adult female with lines in her mouth.
Weather has posed issue for rescuers, but experts will continue to track and attempt disentanglement if safe.
It’s the latest case of entanglement in an ongoing Unusual Mortality Event declared by federal officials for the critically endangered species numbering less than 360.
The following is a statement from the New England Aquarium on the entanglements:
“North Atlantic right whales continue to be entangled at levels that could push this critically endangered species to extinction. It is distressing that multiple generations of right whales have been affected by the devastating harm of entanglements, which is resulting in deaths, health declines, and slower reproductive rates. Serious injuries and deaths of right whales are preventable and highlight the importance of implementing effective changes to reduce ongoing threats from fishing gear, including broader adoption of ropeless or ‘on demand’ gear and weaker ropes. The New England Aquarium continues to urge and actively participate in advancing a collective shift in industry practices with support from the research community, engineers, and society in both the U.S. and Canada to save this species.” — Amy Knowlton, Senior Scientist, Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium
About Grady Culhane
