Right Whales may go extinct; only 450 left, 17 killed in 2017

Biologists on Wednesday said that another underwater species is on the verge of getting extinct. Biologists of NOAA Fisheries said that right whales, a rare specie of whales found in Atlantic and Pacific oceans, is on the verge of getting extinct.

The biologists said that only 450 of right whales were left in the North Atlantic, South Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. The count of these species is getting decreased by each passing day.

The average lifespan of a right whale is 70 years, but due to their killings they are getting extinct with passing time.

“We are very concerned about the future of North Atlantic right whales”, said Barb Zoodsma, right whale biologist for NOAA Fisheries, said in a statement.

The regional administrator of NOAA Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, John Bullard, warned that there is higher possibility that the right whales are going extinct, and both US and Canada should do more to save them.

Bullard said, “It is getting worse almost by the day. This is a crisis.”

The US and Canadian officials have ongoing discussions on how to protect these whales in terms of fishing or shipping regulations.

This step is being taken because a count of 17 whales had been killed in 2017, 12 of them being in Canadian waters. These deaths forced the federal agency to launch a formal investigation into the deaths.

Zoodsma said, “This is troubling for a population of about 450, particularly because we estimate that only about 105 of those are breeding females who are producing fewer calves.”

NOAA officials said the female whales produced only 5 calves in 2017, whereas the number annually ranged from 5 to 17, with an average of 11.

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Right whale calving season begins in mid-November and continues till mid-April and the boaters are asked to stay alert and keep their distance in this period.

North Atlantic right whales are protected under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.