Right Whale Conservation

Michael J. Moore - AWHI spring 2026

How many right whale species

three

• north atlantic

• north pacific

• southern

ghost gear is ____ in right whales

rare

between 1990 and 2010, right whale populations ____

increaed

why was there steep decline in populations?

increased trapping and fishing gear

what has shaped heavily entrenched whaling, shipping, and seafood industries?

consumer demand

causes of sublethal and lethal large whale traum

consumer damnd for

• whale products

• seafood

• maritime transport

j

examples of maritime transport

• ferries (humans)

• energy (tanker ships)

• food, booze, parts, toys, etc. (container ships)

• vehicles (car carriers)

consequences of sub-lethal and lethal large whale trauma

• harpoons with explosive grenades

• entalgments in rope and nets

• vessel strikes

what is the most drawn out death in large whales?

entanglement

sub-lethal trauma

• minor cuts and bruises

• bone fractures (ribs can heal)

• loss of body condition

• altered growth and reproductive rates

what type of bone can heal in large whales

ribs

lethal trauma

• exsanguinatino

• pneumothorax

• bone fractures (jaw, skull, vertebrae)

• cachexia

how are trap lines set?

two buoy lines, ground line

majority of right whales have been entangled ____ (Knowlton)

more than once

severe entanglements lead to (Knowlton)

worse health

males and females wiht severe injuries are more likely to ___ than males with minor injuries (Knowlton)

die

severely injured females have the ____ birth rates and ____ calving intervales (Knowlton)

lowest; increased

over three decades, health scores of unentangled whales have ____ (Knowlton)

declined (due to food limitations)

in an entangled whale, ____ is increased

drag

what is involved in drag (van der Hoop)

• thrust

• work

• energetic cost

what is a costly life history stage in large whales (van der Hoop)

entanglement

order of increasing energetic costs of life stages (van der Hoop)

• pregnancy

• migration

• foraging

• reproduction

• lactation

drag from entanglement can impact what? (van der Hoop)

blubber stores

entanglement can impact (van der Hoop)

reproductive success

are north atlantic or southern right whales in poorer condition, suppressed growth, survival, ages of sexual maturation, and calving rates? (Christiansen)

north atlantic

poor north atlantic right whale body condition is a major concern for future ____ (Christiansen)

viability

entanglements lead to ____ whales (stewart)

shorter

summary of part 2

• primary drivers are consumer demand for products moved and produced at sea

• lethal trauma can act over seconds to months, depending on the cause

• the NARW consrotium has enabled detailed, multi-decadal analysis of the impacts of lethal and sub-lethal entanglement and vessel trauma

• sub-lethal trauma has serious impacts on growth and reprodutive health as seen within and between right whale species

summary of perspectives

• we must value the cost of large whale trauma in industries enabled by consumer-driven whaling-by-mistake

• manage for sublethal trauma avoidance to enable recovery

• value long term datasets - such as the NARW consortium

• right whale families have been suffering mightily

• whalers can and should conserve their resources

• the fate of the NARW species is on our watch

what are ultimate solutions

reactive

what are proximate solutions

proactive

examples of ultimate / reactive solutions

mitigate

• vessel strike - reroute, slow

• entanglement - remove rope from water

examples of proximate / proactive solutions

• change the drivers (demand for maritime transport and trap caught seafood will not decrease, but consumers have to…)

  • demand harvest and delivery are ethical

  • balance with seafood and maritime transportation lobbies - politically and economically

U.S. and Canada have major _____ areas of vessel strike mitigations

unprotected

Canada vs. U.S. speed zones

Canada: more monitored and strictly enforced, 99% compliance

cryptic deaths are more/less likely entanglement related than carcass exams indicate (Pace et al.)

more

reducing sub-lethal effects are critical for enabling _____

recovery

movements can/cannot be forecast

cannot

U.S is ahead/behind Canada in regulations

behind

what are an alternative to buoy lines for traps?

on-demand / acoustic / buoyless / ropeless trap retrieval

acoustic release has a fundamental ____ barrier, resulting in projects to decrease cost of acoustic release

entry

steps to market-ready on-demand traps

• culture versus innvoation

• supply chain

• permitting

• functional geolocation - gear conflict avoidance

cash flow and motiviation are the only barriers to fully adopt

on-demand trapping

challenges to right whale survival

• recovery plan is outdated

  • teams are only advisory

• respobsibility is absent

• conflict between stakeholder needs

• short term obfuscating long terms solutions

• on-demand permitting is combuersome

• climate change

• looming threats like wind energy

needs for improved right whale conservation

• broader US mandatory vessel strike reduction measures

• widespread removal of vertical line

• better understanding of residual reisk of sunking groundline

• more real time monitoring

• far greater public awareness of species and individual trauma risks

• political and economic pressure for ehtical consumerism