ACS Public Policies

POLICY

ACS supports legal actions to protect northern right whales, including both North Pacific and North Atlantic right whales. This would include, but not be limited to, actions that would minimize the risk of death or injury to right whales from fishing gear entanglements, collisions with vessels, and other human-induced causes. These actions must be consistent with existing ACS policy and at the discretion of the ACS National Board.

BACKGROUND:

North Atlantic Right Whales

North Atlantic right whales currently number approximately 300 individuals. They were officially protected in 1935, although the last known take occurred off of Long Island, New York, in 1932. They have been studied intensively since 1980. Population studies indicated an increase of approximately 2.5 percent per year through the 1980s (Knowlton et al. 1994), but have shown a decrease in the 1990s that, if continued at its present rate, would result in extinction of the population within 200 years (Caswell et al. 1999). The decline is related to several factors. Calving rates in the population have plummeted; inter-calf interval has significantly increased; and gross annual recruitment rate has plummeted (A. Knowlton, pers. comm.). Human-induced mortality has also been and continues to be an important factor. Over 60 percent of North Atlantic right whales have entanglement scars on them, and at least two deaths in the past three years can be attributed to entanglements (Hamilton et al. 1998). Among known mortalities in the past 10 years, over 47 percent can be attributed to ship strikes (Knowlton and Kraus 1998). Currently, both the Northeast and Southeast Large Whale Recovery Plan Implementation Teams are working on the ship strike issue; the Large Whale Take Reduction Team, supervised by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), is working on the entanglement issue.

North Pacific Right Whales

The status of North Pacific right whales is currently unknown, but the population likely numbers no more than found in the western North Atlantic. What information exists on these animals is summarized by Brownell et al. (1998). North Pacific right whales were illegally taken by the Soviet Union as recently as the late 1960s. There appear to be two stocks of right whales in the North Pacific. The western stock is little studied but appears to be capable of reproducing. No population estimate exists, but it is unlikely that there are more than several hundred animals. In the eastern North Pacific recent sightings are rare, although a handful of animals have been seen in the Bering Strait in each of the past several years during dedicated NMFS cruises. Because so little is currently known about these populations, it is impossible to know population trends or current threats, although one entanglement has been recorded in the eastern population. It is hoped that future research will answer some of the current questions.

LITERATURE CITED

Brownell, R.L., P.J. Clapham, T. Miyashita, and T. Kasuya. 1998. Conservation status of North Pacific right whales. International Whaling Commission (IWC) Document No. SC/M98/RW10. 18 pp.

Caswell, H., M. Fujiwara, and S. Brault. 1999. Declining survival probability threatens the North Atlantic right whale. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 96:3308-3313.

Hamilton, P., A.R. Knowlton, M.K. Marx, and S.D. Kraus. 1998. Age structure and longevity in North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis and their relation to reproduction. Marine Ecology Progress Series 171:285-292.

Knowlton, A.R., S.D. Kraus, and R.D. Kenney. 1994. Reproduction in North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis). Can. J. Zool. 72:1297-1305.

Knowlton. A.R. and S.D. Kraus. 1998. Mortality and serious injury in North Atlantic right whales. IWC Document No. SC/M98/RW8. 23 pp.