" So, what do we know about the North Atlantic right whales?” asked Penny Hooper, on behalf of the North Carolina Sierra Club, during her public comment.
They are one of the most endangered whales on the planet, with only an estimated 360 remaining whales are in the entire population. "
'Right whales are typically 13–17 m (43–56 ft) long and weigh up to 100 short tons (91 t; 89 long tons) or more."
'The 2008 vessel speed rule is meant to just slow vessels near the North Atlantic right whale to prevent devastating strikes that result in injuries and deaths. "
"All three species are migratory, moving seasonally to feed or give birth"
"Right whales feed mainly on copepods but also consume krill and pteropods. They may forage the surface, underwater or even the ocean bottom.
During courtship, males gather into large groups to compete for a single female, suggesting that sperm competition is an important factor in mating behavior.
Gestation tends to last a year, and calves are weaned at eight months old."
"I was thinking specifically about this case when I mentioned being waist-deep in whale innards during my public comments.
This whale had lower back vertebrae the size of a beer keg that had been shattered by blunt force impact, despite all of the thick blubber and muscle surrounding and cushioning them,” he said. "
"There are only about 360 right whales left in the world.
Since the North Atlantic right whale unusual mortality event was declared in 2017, there have been 142 known cases, including 41 dead, 35 seriously injured,and 66 were slightly less than lethally injured or ill individuals. “
"Of the 41 confirmed dead whales, 19 were first documented in the United States, and 22 were first documented in Canada.
This does not account for offshore undetected injuries and deaths,” Harms said.
"Basque people were the first to hunt right whales commercially, beginning as early as the 11th century in the Bay of Biscay. They initially sought oil, but as meat preservation technology improved, the animal was also used for food.
Basque whalers reached eastern Canada by 1530 and the shores of Todos os Santos Bay (in Bahia, Brazil) by 1602. The last Basque voyages were made before the Seven Years' War (1756–1763). All attempts to revive the trade after the war failed. Basque shore whaling continued sporadically into the 19th century."
There were 24 confirmed, probable or suspected deaths as a direct result of human interaction out of the 41 whales. There were nine entanglements, 15 vessel strikes...."
https://coastalreview.org/2024/07/comment-period-on-new-right-whale-speed-rule-to-end/
"Right whales swim slowly, reaching only 5 kn (9.3 km/h) at top speed. However, they are highly acrobatic and frequently breach (jump clear of the sea surface), tail-slap and lobtail "
'The right whales' diets consist primarily of zooplankton, primarily the tiny crustaceans called copepods, as well as krill, and pteropods, although they are occasionally opportunistic feeders. As with other baleens, they feed by filtering prey from the water. They swim with an open mouth, filling it with water and prey. The whale then expels the water, using its baleen plates to retain the prey. Prey must occur in sufficient numbers to trigger the whale's interest, be large enough that the baleen plates can filter it, and be slow enough that it cannot escape. The "skimming" may take place on the surface, underwater, or even at the seabed, indicated by mud occasionally observed on right whales' bodies"
"Vocalizations made by right whales are not elaborate compared to those made by other whale species. The whales make groans, pops and belches typically at frequencies around 500 Hz. The purpose of the sounds is not known but may be a form of communication between whales within the same group. "
'During the mating season, which can occur at any time in the North Atlantic, right whales gather into "surface-active groups" made up of as many as 20 males consorting a single female.
The female has her belly to the surface while the males stroke her with their flippers or keep her underwater. The males do not compete as aggressively against each other as male humpbacks. The female may not become pregnant but she is still able to assess the condition of potential mates. "
"The mean age of first parturition in North Atlantic right whales is estimated at between 7.5 and 9 years. Females breed every 3–5 years; the most commonly seen calving intervals are 3 years and may vary from 2 up to 21 years due to multiple factors."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_whale
"By conservative estimates (e.g. she was a new mother who had just reached sexual maturity in 1935), she was nearly 70 years to more than 100 years of age, if not older.Research on the closely related bowhead whale exceeding
210 years suggests this lifespan is not uncommon and may even be exceeded."
"French President Emmanuel Macron’s office has asked Danish authorities not to extradite Watson, who has lived in France for the past year, according to Agence France-Presse.
A French online petition urging Macron to demand Watson’s release has garnered almost 670,000 signatures in eight days."
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