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North Atlantic Right Whale
North Atlantic Right Whale
Eubalaena glacialis
Protected Status
ESA Endangered
Throughout Its Range
MMPA Protected
Throughout Its Range
MMPA Depleted
Throughout Its Range
CITES Appendix I
Throughout Its Range
SPAW Annex II
Throughout the Wider Caribbean Region
Quick Facts
Weight
Up to 140,000 pounds
Length
Up to 52 feet
Lifespan
Up to 70 years
Threats
Changes in distribution and availability of prey,
Climate change,
Entanglement in fishing gear,
Habitat degradation,
Ocean noise,
Small population size,
Vessel strikes
Region
New England/Mid-Atlantic,
Southeast
A right whale breaches. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
A right whale breaches. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
About the Species
A right whale breaches. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
A right whale breaches. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
The North Atlantic right whale is one of the world’s most endangered large whale species; the latest preliminary estimate suggests there are fewer than 350 remaining. Two other species of right whales exist: the North Pacific right whale, which is found in the North Pacific Ocean, and the Southern right whale, which is found in the southern hemisphere. Right whales are baleen whales, feeding on copepods (tiny crustaceans) by straining huge volumes of ocean water through their baleen plates, which act like a sieve.
By the early 1890s, commercial whalers had hunted North Atlantic right whales to the brink of extinction. (They got their name from being the "right" whales to hunt because they floated when they were killed.) Whaling is no longer a threat, but they have never recovered to pre-whaling numbers, and human interactions still present the greatest danger to this species. Entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes are the leading causes of North Atlantic right whale mortality. Increasing ocean noise levels from human activities are also a concern since the noise may interfere with right whale communication and increase their stress levels.
NOAA Fisheries and our partners are dedicated to conserving and rebuilding the North Atlantic right whale population. We use a variety of innovative techniques to study, protect, and recover these endangered whales. We engage our partners, including the fishing and shipping industries, as we develop regulations and management plans that foster healthy fisheries and reduce the risk of entanglements, slow down vessel traffic, and reduce ocean noise.
North Atlantic right whales have been listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act since 1970. The latest preliminary estimate suggests there are fewer than 350 remaining, with fewer than 100 breeding females. The number of new calves born in recent years has been below average.
Credit: NOAA Fisheries
They have experienced an ongoing Unusual Mortality Event since 2017, which includes sublethally injured or ill, seriously injured, and dead right whales. The whales impacted by the UME represent more than 20 percent of the population, which is a significant impact on an endangered species where deaths are outpacing births. Additionally, research demonstrates that only about 1/3 of right whale deaths are documented.
Protected Status
ESA Endangered
Throughout Its Range
MMPA Protected
Throughout Its Range
MMPA Depleted
Throughout Its Range
CITES Appendix I
Throughout Its Range
SPAW Annex II
Throughout the Wider Caribbean Region
Appearance
North Atlantic right whales have stocky black bodies with no dorsal fins, and their blow spouts are shaped like a “V.” Their tails are broad, deeply notched, and all black with a smooth trailing edge. Their bellies may be all black or have irregularly shaped white patches. Pectoral flippers are relatively short, broad, and paddle-shaped. Calves are about 14 feet at birth and adults can grow to lengths of 52 feet.
Their heads have knobby white patches of rough skin, called callosities, which appear white because of whale lice (cyamids) covering their otherwise black skin. Each right whale has a unique pattern of callosities that scientists use to identify individual whales, an invaluable tool in tracking population size and health. Aerial and ship-based surveys and the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium’s photo-identification database maintained by our partners at the New England Aquarium help track individuals over the years.
Behavior and Diet
When viewing right whales, you might see these enormous creatures breaching and then crashing back down with a thunderous splash. You might also see them swimming along with their rostrum out of the water as they skim feed on dense patches of plankton. Right whales feed by opening their mouths while swimming slowly through large patches of copepods and other zooplankton. They filter out these tiny organisms from the water through their baleen, where the copepods become trapped in a tangle of hair-like material that acts like a sieve. Right whales feed anywhere from the water’s surface to the bottom of the water column.
Groups of right whales may be seen actively socializing at the water’s surface, known as surface-active groups, or SAGs. Mating and socializing occurs in SAGs, which are observed during all seasons and in all habitats.
Right whales communicate using low-frequency moans, groans, and pulses, which may maintain contact between individuals, communicate threats, signal aggression, or be used for other social reasons.
Where They Live
North Atlantic right whales primarily occur in Atlantic coastal waters on the continental shelf, although they also are known to travel far offshore, over deep water.
Right whales migrate seasonally and may travel alone or in small groups. In the spring, summer, and into fall, many of these whales can be found in waters off New England and further north into Canadian waters, where they feed and mate.
Each fall, some right whales travel more than 1,000 miles from these feeding grounds to the shallow, coastal waters of their calving grounds off of South Carolina, Georgia, and northeastern Florida, though migration patterns vary.
Off the southeast U.S. coast from Cape Fear, North Carolina, to below Cape Canaveral, Florida (calving area)
World map providing approximate representation of the North Atlantic right whale's range.
Lifespan & Reproduction
Right whales can probably live for at least 70 years, but data on their average lifespan is limited since scientific monitoring of the species is fairly recent. Ear wax can be used to estimate age in right whales after they have died. Another way to determine lifespan is to look at groups of closely related species. There are indications that some species closely related to right whales may live more than 100 years. However, female North Atlantic right whales are now only living to around 45 years old and males only to around 65 years old. Such reduced lifespans are due to human-caused mortality, not old age.
In recent years, researchers have recorded more deaths among adult females than adult males, leading to a population with more males than females, a bias that is increasing over time. Females that undergo energetic stress from reproduction may be more susceptible than males to dying from chronic injuries such as those from entanglement or vessel strikes.
Female right whales become sexually mature at about age 10. They give birth to a single calf after a year-long pregnancy. Three years is considered a normal or healthy interval between right whale births. But now, on average, females are having calves every 6 to 10 years. Biologists believe that the additional stress caused by entanglement is one of the reasons that females are calving less often.
Threats
North Atlantic right whales face many threats, including entanglement in fishing gear, vessel strikes, climate change—which may alter their migratory patterns and feeding areas—and the impacts of ocean noise on their ability to communicate, find food, and navigate.
Entanglements
Image
Illustration of how North Atlantic right whales get entangled in fishing gear. Entangled whales can tow fishing gear for tens to hundreds of miles over months or even years, before either being freed, shedding the gear on their own, or succumbing to their injuries. Credit: Graphic Services, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Entanglement in fishing gear is one of the greatest threats to North Atlantic right whales. NOAA Fisheries and our partners estimate that over 85 percent of right whales have been entangled in fishing gear at least once. Fishing gear can cut into a whale’s body, cause serious injuries, and result in infections and mortality. Even if gear is shed or removed through disentanglement efforts, the time spent entangled can severely stress a whale, weaken it, prevent it from feeding, and sap the energy it needs to swim, feed, and reproduce. Chronic entanglements are one reason scientists think that female right whales are having fewer calves and are taking longer to have calves.
Vessel Strikes
Image
A North Atlantic right whale with propeller scars. Credit: NOAA
Vessel strikes are another major threat to right whales. Their habitat and migration routes are close to major ports along the Atlantic coastline and often overlap with shipping lanes, making right whales vulnerable to collisions with vessels. These collisions can cause broken bones and massive internal injuries or cuts from propellers. Vessels of nearly any size can injure or kill a right whale. The faster a vessel is traveling when it hits a whale, the higher the likelihood of serious injury or death.
Climate Change
The changing climate, and more specifically oceanographic changes in the Northwest Atlantic, are key factors contributing to reduced reproduction and higher susceptibility to human-caused threats. Over the past decade, right whales have changed their distribution patterns, likely in response to changes in prey location and availability due to warming oceans. As their prey moved, the whales began spending more time in areas with fewer protections from vessel strikes and entanglements.
A dip in right whale births and lengthened calving intervals (from 3 to 5 years to 6 to 10 years) indicates that reproductively active females have struggled in recent years to find sufficient food resources to support pregnancy. As their environment changes, right whales will likely continue to modify their distribution and behavior to adapt, resulting in a more uncertain and unpredictable future for the species.
Ocean Noise
Ocean noise from human activities such as shipping, boating, construction, and energy exploration and development has increased in the Northwest Atlantic. Noise from these activities can interrupt the normal behavior of right whales and interfere with their communication. It may also reduce their ability to detect and avoid predators and human hazards, navigate, identify physical surroundings, find food, and find mates.
Scientific Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Cetacea
Family
Balaenidae
Genus
Eubalaena
Species
glacialis
Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 01/30/2023
What We Do
Conservation & Management
We are committed to the protection and recovery of the North Atlantic right whale through implementation of various conservation, regulatory, rescue, and enforcement measures. Our work includes:
Protecting habitat and designating critical habitat
Rescuing entangled right whales
Reducing the threat of vessel collisions
Reducing injury and mortality by fishing gear
Minimizing the effects of vessel disturbance and noise
We conduct various research activities on the biology, behavior, and ecology of the North Atlantic right whale. The results of this research are used to inform management decisions and enhance recovery efforts for this endangered species that is headed toward extinction. Our work includes:
Identifying habitat and when it is used by right whales
Investigating unusual mortality events
Performing stock assessments to gather population information
Tracking individuals over time to monitor important population traits
Endangered North Atlantic right whales are approaching extinction. The latest preliminary estimate indicates there are fewer than 350 individuals remaining and less than 100 breeding females. Primary threats to the species are entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes. Climate change is also affecting every aspect of their survival—changing their ocean habitat, their migratory patterns, the location and availability of their prey, and even their risk of becoming entangled in fishing gear or struck by vessels.
The North Atlantic Right Whale Road to Recovery describes NOAA Fisheries’ efforts to halt the current population decline and recover the species. It is built on the foundation of the statutory requirements that we are charged with implementing under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It shows how our collective actions, in collaboration with partners, fit together to save this iconic species. The strategy complements the North Atlantic right whale 2021–2025 Priority Action Plan by identifying our goals and related objectives, and by tracking and communicating progress on major activities and associated milestones, examples of which are given below. The Road to Recovery is a living information resource and will be updated regularly.
The Road to Recovery has two related goals: (1) Address Threats to the Species and (2) Monitor Recovery Progress. Under Address Threats to the Species, there are three objectives: (1.1) Address Vessel Strikes, (1.2) Address Fishing Gear Entanglements, and (1.3) Address Potential and Emerging Threats, including impacts from climate change, new and expanded ocean uses, and ocean noise. Under Monitor Recovery Progress, the three objectives are: (2.1) Monitor Population and Health, (2.2) Monitor Threats, and (2.3) Monitor Effectiveness of Conservation. Our stewardship responsibilities under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act form the foundation of the Road to Recovery.
For endangered North Atlantic right whales to recover, we must address existing and emerging threats to the species. To achieve this goal, the Road to Recovery focuses on three objectives: address vessel strikes, address fishing gear entanglements, and address potential and emerging threats, including impacts from climate change, new and expanded ocean uses, and ocean noise.
Vessel Strikes
Image
North Atlantic right whales are sometimes referred to as the "urban whale" due to their proximity to populated, coastal environments. This proximity leads to strikes from vessels moving through these waters, resulting in injury or death. Reducing vessel strikes is necessary to mitigate extinction risk.
Enforcing vessel speed regulations to promote compliance
Conducting public outreach and engagement to raise awareness on vessel strike risk such as the 2021-2022 calving season campaign through web stories, visualizations, and social media posts
Fishing Gear Entanglements
Image
North Atlantic right whales breed, feed, and travel through prime fishing grounds along the East Coast of North America. This leads to incidental entanglements in fishing gear, often resulting in injury or death. Reducing entanglement is necessary to mitigate extinction risk.
As human activities and environments change, right whales may face additional potential and emerging threats—including impacts from climate change, new and expanded ocean uses, and ocean noise. Assessing and mitigating threats associated with climate change, development of offshore wind, expansion of aquaculture, and increased ocean noise are necessary to mitigate extinction risk.
Working with the Bureau to draft a strategy for mitigating the impact of offshore wind energy development on NOAA Fisheries surveys, including right whale surveys
Completing Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act authorizations and consultations, respectively, for South Fork Wind and Vineyard Wind 1 that required specific measures to minimize impacts to right whales
Goal: Monitor Recovery Progress
Monitoring is crucial to track the status of right whales and evaluate the effectiveness of our efforts to address threats. To achieve this goal, the Road to Recovery focuses on three objectives: monitor population and health, monitor threats, and monitor effectiveness of conservation.
Monitor Population and Health
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Long-term monitoring of the population and health is critical for tracking the status of North Atlantic right whales over time. It provides an understanding of individual health and reproduction as well as distribution, abundance, and habitat-use patterns of the population.
Example Activities and Milestones
Conducting annual aerial surveys and publishing survey reports
Tracking changes in ocean conditions, marine development activities, commercial fishing operations, and vessel traffic—informing a recent coast-wide assessment of right whale vessel strike risk
Monitor Effectiveness of Conservation
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To ensure our conservation efforts are effective, we regularly evaluate existing conservation efforts and seek means for improvement.
Working with the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team to regularly assess the effectiveness of existing fisheries mitigation measures and the need to further reduce entanglements in U.S. commercial fisheries
Evaluating the effectiveness of mitigation and monitoring measures included in incidental take authorizations and consultations on activities other than commercial fishing like military training exercises, energy activities, and coastal development projects
North Atlantic right whales are approaching extinction. Unless immediate action is taken to substantially reduce human-caused mortality and injury, the number of North Atlantic right whales will continue to decline, imperiling the species’ ability to recover.
NOAA Fisheries and its partners are committed to protecting and recovering North Atlantic right whales through conservation, regulatory, rescue, and enforcement measures.
We are required by the Endangered Species Act to conduct 5-year reviews to ensure that listing classifications of species are accurate. The 5-year review must be based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review. We…
We, NMFS, completed a status review of right whales in the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in December 2006 and are listing the currently endangered northern right whale (Eubalaena spp.) as two…
Disturbance is identified in the Final Recovery Plan for the Northern Right Whale (Recovery Plan) as among the principal human-induced factors impeding recovery of the northern right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) (NMFS, 1991). NMFS is issuing this interim…
NOAA Fisheries conducts various research activities on the biology, behavior, and ecology of the North Atlantic right whale. The results of this research are used to inform management decisions and enhance recovery efforts for this endangered species.
We use a variety of methods to determine where right whales are located, including surveys with boats and planes, underwater acoustic listening devices, habitat modeling, and citizen science sighting reports. To better inform the public of the most recent right whale sightings, NOAA scientists maintain a database that displays real-time sightings on an interactive map. These data, along with those maintained by our partners at the New England Aquarium, includes more than 40 years of reliable sightings data, spanning the entire range of the species from Canada through Florida.
NOAA is working hard to develop a tag that will stay attached to right whales without compromising the health of these animals given their precarious state and poor condition. Right whales are especially challenging to keep long term tags attached since they often engage in physical contact with each other, putting tremendous stress on tags attached to their bodies. They also lack a dorsal fin which is a commonly used attachment point in other species.
Aerial Surveys
Scientists use small aircraft to spot North Atlantic right whales and photograph them to identify individuals and record their seasonal distribution. Understanding the whales’ distribution patterns helps managers establish measures to reduce vessel strikes and fisheries interactions. NOAA Fisheries and our partners also use small unmanned aircraft systems (drones) to assess individual right whale size and body condition, as well as taking breath samples to analyze factors such as genetics and stress hormones.
Image
North Atlantic right whale mother and calf as seen from a research drone called a hexacopter. Hexacopters allow researchers to conduct right whale photo identification and photogrammetry studies. Photogrammetry techniques allow scientists to get body measurements from aerial photographs. Credit: NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center/Lisa Conger and Elizabeth Josephson
Shipboard Studies
In addition to aerial surveys, we conduct vessel surveys that investigate the whales’ habitat preferences and feeding ecology, as well as collect photographic and genetic identification. Information from this research can be used to inform management actions that protect the North Atlantic right whale.
As with our aerial surveys, the goals of many shipboard surveys are to photograph as many individual right whales as possible, so we concentrate on places where we are most likely to find them at the surface, aggregating to feed or engage in social behaviors. This helps us accurately estimate the population size and monitor population trends. The photographs and other data collected (time, date, location, behavior) are used by researchers to investigate things like body condition, behavior, and life history. Over time, these data can also reflect changes in distribution.
If the whales aren’t feeding or socializing at the surface, their behavior can make them hard to spot (for example, if they’re engaged in deep dives or traveling while submerged). Sea state and weather also make it more challenging to spot whales.
Acoustics
Acoustics is the science of how sound is transmitted. This research involves increasing our understanding of the basic acoustic behavior of whales, dolphins, and fish; mapping the acoustic environment; and developing better methods using autonomous gliders and passive acoustic arrays to locate cetaceans.
We use underwater microphones to listen for right whale calls. This is another way to learn more about where and when these whales are present in different areas (at least during times they are vocalizing) where visual surveys are not likely to be effective. For example, acoustic detections have shown that at least some right whales can be detected year-round in locations we thought were once only seasonally used.
Other research is focused on the acoustic environment of cetaceans, including North Atlantic right whales.
Determining the size of the North Atlantic right whale population—and whether it is increasing or decreasing from year to year—helps resource managers assess the success of the conservation measures enacted. Our scientists collect population information on right whales from various sources and present the data in an annual stock assessment report.
