The right whale got its name from whalers who called it the "right" whale to hunt. Right whales made ideal prey because they swim slowly, can be close to the surface, produce a high yield of oil, and float after death. This made them easier to kill, retrieve and tow to shore or bring onboard vessels.
Beginning in 1835, North Pacific right whales were extensively hunted by sailing Yankee whalers who killed 80 percent of the species within two decades. By 1960 the populations in the eastern and western Pacific began to slowly recover. They were then targeted by illegal Soviet whaling, which decimated the remainder of the species, especially in the eastern Pacific.
Today the endangered eastern population of North Pacific right whales is estimated to be fewer than 50 animals, making them one of the rarest large whale populations in the world.
Historic Range of North Pacific Right Whales
Before right whales in the North Pacific were heavily exploited by commercial whalers, concentrations were found in the Gulf of Alaska, eastern Aleutian Islands, southeastern Bering Sea, Sea of Okhotsk, and Sea of Japan.
During 1965-99, following illegal catches by the Soviets, there were only 82 sightings of right whales in the entire eastern North Pacific, with the majority of these occurring in the Bering Sea and adjacent areas of the Aleutian Islands.
Sightings have been reported as far south as central Baja California in the eastern North Pacific, as far south as Hawaii in the central North Pacific, and as far north as the sub-Arctic waters of the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in the summer.
Migratory patterns of the North Pacific right whales are unknown, although it is thought the whales migrate from high-latitude feeding grounds in summer to more temperate waters during the winter, possibly offshore. No calving grounds have been found in the eastern North Pacific.
Do North Pacific Right Whales Play?
Researchers at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center photographed a right whale pushing a log, presumably a playful activity.
To better understand whale behavior and movements, scientists at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center manage one of the most comprehensive catalogs of North Pacific right whales in the world. The catalog dates back to the 1970s, and some adult whales from the 1990’s have been resighted as recently as 5 years ago. The whales can be differentiated by the pattern of their callosities—these are raised patches of roughened skin that are found in roughly the same areas of their heads as facial hair occurs in humans.
In the database, each whale is given a catalog number but researchers have also bestowed unofficial nicknames through the years. Notchy, Spot and Primero have all been found and documented numerous times; a remarkable feat given a population size of fewer than 50 individuals in relation to the expansive waters where they live.
How Long Do North Pacific Right Whales Live And How Big Do They Get?
It is unclear how long North Pacific right whales live. In order to better understand their lifespan, we would need to document many births and deaths of individual animals to obtain concrete figures, and unfortunately, not many right whales die of old age. But right whales are closely related to bowhead whales, and evidence suggests bowheads can live well over 100 years. Similarly, North Atlantic right whales are thought to perhaps live 100 years or more as well, but on average, females are only living to ~45 years and males to ~65 years, due to impacts from human-caused activities. North Pacific right whale adults can grow up to 17 m long and can weigh up to 100 tons. Females are larger than males.
Spectrogram and audio recording of eastern North Pacific right whale gunshot calls. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.
Right Whales Don’t Sing…. Or Do They??
Our population of right whales does! North Pacific right whales are the first right whale population that has been documented singing! First detected in 2010, scientists were unsure what species was producing these patterns. It wasn’t until a field survey in 2017 where scientists were able to directly link gunshot song production to two male North Pacific right whales. Their songs are different from those of bowhead or humpback whales, in that they are comprised almost entirely of gunshot calls. These songs have remained stable for over a decade, and continue to be detected on passive acoustic recorders today.
How Do You Identify A North Pacific Right Whale?
There are several unique features that are used to identify North Pacific right whales. Their most distinguishing feature are the bumps on their heads called callosities. These are unique to each individual whale and help researchers visually identify and track whales we have seen before. Right whales can also be visually identified by scientists and casual whale watchers alike by a unique V-shaped exhale as it breathes through its blowhole at the water’s surface. This helps scientists identify North Pacific right whales during research surveys as many other large whales have a singular exhale stream.
Where Can You Find North Pacific Right Whales?
In 2022, at least two North Pacific right whales were spotted by fishermen east of Cape Sarichef in the Aleutian Islands. More recently, a whale watch operator out of Monterey Bay sighted a North Pacific right whale off California. Citizen scientists can contribute by photographing and taking video of potential North Pacific right whale sightings. Keep 500 yards away from North Pacific right whales anywhere in U.S. waters. Please be sure to record as much location information as possible. Some recording equipment, such as smartphones and DSLR cameras, provide the option to record GPS information. You can email all information and photographs to np.rw@noaa.gov. Also, please report whale sightings using the Whale Alert App to help prevent vessel strikes.
