North Atlantic right whale

North Atlantic right whale

Subject : Environment

Section: Species in news

Context: Why Some Anti-Renewable Groups Have Developed Sudden Interest in Whales.

More on the News:

• Hundreds of dead whales have washed up on the Atlantic coast of the US since 2017, including the critically endangered north Atlantic right whale.
• Their giant corpses have littered the east coast, from Florida in the south to Maine in the north. Government scientists have linked most cases to entanglements in fishing lines and collisions with ships, though many deaths lack data due to decomposition and time constraints.
• Fossil-fuel-backed lobby groups have capitalised on the deaths to supercharge their fight against offshore wind farms, according to conservation groups, watchdogs and researchers.
• Proponents of the theory are often vague on how exactly the developments are killing whales, but generally attribute their deaths to the sonar used during underwater surveys or from loud noises emitted by operational turbines.

North Atlantic right whale:

• North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is a species of large baleen whale found in the North Atlantic Ocean.
• Habitat: North Atlantic right whales are found primarily in coastal waters along the eastern coast of North America, from Florida to Canada, as well as in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. They are known for their slow, graceful swimming and distinctive V-shaped blow.
• Diet: North Atlantic right whales are baleen whales, meaning they feed on small organisms like zooplankton and krill. They use baleen plates in their mouths to filter food from the water as they swim.
• Conservation status: The North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered large whale species in the world.It is listed as “Critically Endangered” by the IUCN Red Lis
• Threats: The North Atlantic right whale faces a number of threats, including entanglement in fishing gear, ship strikes, and habitat loss due to human activities. Climate change may also be affecting their food sources, leading to declines in populations.
• Conservation efforts: There are a number of conservation efforts underway to protect the North Atlantic right whale, including regulations to reduce fishing gear entanglement and shipping speed limits in areas where the whales are known to occur.