September 13, 2019 — The fate of the increasingly rare North Atlantic right whale has always been left up to humans.
Once hunted nearly to extinction, their population is sharply declining again. Any hope for their survival, researchers say, demands immediate action.
A new report from Oceana, a non-profit ocean advocacy group, says unless protections are put in place, the North Atlantic right whale will die out.
“At some point, if trends continue, recovery will simply become impossible,” researchers wrote.
There are only 400 of them left, and less than 25% of them are breeding females responsible for the species’ survival. At least 28 have died in the past two years, Oceana campaign director Whitney Webber told CNN.
It’s a sharp decline driven by fishing, boating and climate change that impacts their food supply, according to the report.
“We’re really not seeing the whales die of natural causes anymore,” she said. “They’re dying at our hands.”