The North Atlantic Right Whale

Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life : https://www.andersoncabotcenterforoceanlife.org/rightwhales/right-whales/about-right-whales/

Hello! In this blog, I'll be talking about a species of whale that is being threatened by extinction. I chose to write about this subject because I think it's interesting to know about the effects we have on our planet. Here are some facts about their situation.

Here's the URL:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/endangered-north-atlantic-right-whales-thin

Brief summary : 

The North Atlantic right whale is a species of whales that are on the brink of extinction. They were named by fishermen who thought the creatures were “easy targets” because of their conducts. Currently, there are only 409 remaining North Atlantic right whales in the world, this being a consequence of their hunting a while back. Unfortunately, the North Atlantic right whale species are located in very busy finishing regions, so they often get tangled up in fishing gear. Researchers funded by the National Graphics organization have noticed that the North Atlantic right whales are a lot thinner than their cousins—the southern right whales. The southern right whales would be around 10, 000 pounds heavier than the north whales, and are estimated to be around 10, 000 of their kind.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution : https://www.whoi.edu/press-room/news-release/north-atlantic-right-whales-are-in-much-poorer-condition-than-their-southern-counterparts/

    The North Atlantic right whales have a much harder time reproducing than the southern ones because of their lack of nourishment and the stress factors around them. Those researchers have found that nursing right whales are barely big enough for their own health, even less to raise their calves. That said, the calves don’t get the necessary nutriments to grow healthy. The worst part is that in the southern region, the lack of fishing and current boat traffic help the right whale population get bigger. If only the same laws and regulations were applied in the North Atlantic sea, the North Atlantic right whales would have a chance of regrowing their population and not be constantly threatened by extinction. 

 

 My opinion about this topic :

    I think it's disappointing how the lack of action from people who have the power to change things have caused the functional extinction of this whale species. If we'd apply the same regulations we have in the south, the North Atlantic right whales would have a chance of repopulating themselves. Even though reading articles like these can be stressful, I think it's important to be aware of our surroundings. Marine life has always been so interesting to me, so I love to learn more about it. Reading this article made me want to act and start changing my habits in ways that could be a little more eco-friendly. Fun fact, authorities have thankfully heard about this issue and have decided to discourage/prohibit fishing red lobsters. This type of fishing causing the most entanglements with the whales. So reassure yourself, we aren't just doing nothing about the situation!

Question :

    In the second to last paragraph of the article, the author mentions another cause of their extinction. What would that be?