Protect the North Atlantic Right Whale

Support efforts to protect the North Atlantic Right Whale

Each winter, the warm waters of the Georgia coast beckon our blubbery friends from the north. Arriving in late November and early December, calving North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) make their annual journey from the frigid seas of New England and Nova Scotia to give birth and rear young off of the temperate Atlantic coast of Georgia and Florida, the species’ only known calving ground. Since 1981, when these beautiful creatures were first spotted along our coast, each calving season has been met with great anticipation, and often anxiety, by right whale supporters.

With fewer than 350 North Atlantic right whales estimated left in the wild, the species is the world’s most endangered large whale and lingering on the brink of extinction. 

The species has an increasingly low birth rate. Historically, the species can give birth to only one calf every three to five years, yet increased trauma from entanglement and ship strikes have increased this interval to nearly 10 years. With an estimated population of less than 100 breeding females, every birth is a cause for celebration.

The leading causes of death are related to human activities: vessel collisions and fishing gear entanglement - it is estimated that more than 85% of all North Atlantic right whales have been entangled in fishing gear at least once. 

Today, your help is needed with this evolving threat. Please make a gift to the Georgia Conservancy to support our advocacy for sensible regulations that limit ship strikes and entanglements, as well as outreach and educational efforts to expand emerging technologies, like ropeless fishing gear, that will help protect the North Atlantic right whale!

Reducing Ship Strikes

The number of mortalities and serious injuries from vessel strikes in U.S. waters currently exceeds the legal threshold allowable under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, so more must be done to avoid vessel strikes and allow the North Atlantic right whale population to rebound. 

The Georgia Conservancy supports additional speed restrictions that are targeted to the areas as well as the size and class of boats that would provide the greatest risk reduction with the least amount of impact on our ports and recreational boating community.

Reducing Entanglements

The species is critically endangered, but their population can rebound if we lower human-caused deaths using updated science and fishing technologies.

One such new development that might improve fishing and protect whales is called “ropeless (or buoyless) fishing,” which allows for lobster and crab fishers to continue operating in areas where right whales are present without further endangering these marine mammals. We advocate for NMFS to continue to test and foster a market for ropeless technologies by creating incentives for adoption.

Learn more about the threats posed to the North Atlantic rigth whale and our effort to protect the species: www.georgiaconservancy.org/coast/right-whale

Founded in 1967, the Georgia Conservancy’s mission to protect and conserve Georgia’s natural resources through advocacy, engagement, and collaboration is driven by a vision of a Georgia where people and the environment thrive.  

      To learn more about the Georgia Conservancy and our programmatic work in environmental advocacy, land conservation, stewardship trips, sustainable growth, and coastal resources protection, please visit us: www.georgiaconservancy.org