BOSTON – Scientists at the New England Aquarium recently made comments regarding the death of a North Atlantic Right Whale whose necropsy indicated it was killed by a collision with a marine vessel.
The whale, identified as #3343 by the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalogue, was last seen alive in late December off the coast of Georgia prior to washing ashore on Sunday, February 12 in Virginia Beach, VA.
The incident is the latest in a recent string of harmful interactions between the critically endangered whales and man-made vessels and fishing lines.
“It has been a challenging few weeks for right whales, and for those who care about them,” said Phillip Hamilton, senior scientist at the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life.
“Four newly entangled whales have been discovered since the beginning of January and now #3343’s death. And all of the whales with families that we know well.”
The death of #3343, who had recently reached the age to father calves, highlights a worrying trend in repopulation efforts.
Although the recently entangled whales were freed by teams of rescuers, the lingering effects of the injuries sustained can lead to fatal complications during pregnancy for female right whales, such as those credited for killing #3343’s eldest sister, “Lucky”.
The New England Aquarium is recommending scientifically backed solutions such as broader speed restrictions for vessels traveling through the right whale’s ranges to halt the decline in right whale populations.
“I’m often asked if we are doing enough to protect right whales,” said Hamilton.
“While important steps have been made to protect these whales in both the U.S. and Canada, the whales themselves are showing through these entanglements and this death that clearly more needs to be done.”
By, Matthew Tomlinson, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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