Overview
- The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium estimated 384 whales for 2024, a 2.1% rise from the prior year and part of a gradual uptick since 2020.
- Researchers reported no detected deaths and fewer significant injuries in the latest period, with only one newly observed entanglement injury so far and a warning that some harm goes unseen.
- Most scientists reported eleven calves this season, including four first-time mothers, though one outlet cited eight calves as the total.
- NOAA identifies fishing-gear entanglements and vessel strikes as the leading threats; Oceana notes about a quarter of the population is entangled each year and roughly 85% have been entangled at least once.
- Advocates and researchers are pressing for stronger measures in U.S. and Canadian waters, including vessel-speed controls, expanded fishing restrictions, and adoption of ropeless gear, with only about 70 reproductively active females limiting rapid growth.