Recent Deaths, Entanglement Shine Light on Right Whale Plight
A juvenile male right whale tangled in fishing gear was rescued in August off Campobello Island. Photo courtesy Campobello Whale Rescue.
The recent death of two right whales in the Gulf of Maine and the discovery of another entangled in fishing gear is bringing renewed attention to the plight of the endangered species.
Last Thursday, a female Right Whale was spotted off Provincetown Mass., swimming, but entangled in gear. Friday, a dead female whale was seen off Boothbay, Maine and towed to shore, where its death was determined to be from stress caused by entanglement. Saturday a dead whale was spotted off Mount Desert Rock, but could not be recovered.
With only about 500 Right Whales left in the world, scientists and other mariners rushed to document the deaths and help the still-living whale. They were able to remove more than 200 feet of gear and buoys from that animal, which swam on. And they found an important piece of information — a U.S. based fishing license on one of the buoys.