On January 17, several American scientists rejoiced. For what ? One of their tasks is to monitor the births of baby whales. And they saw a calf swimming alongside its mother in Florida! This is news that gives hope. The Aces invite you to find out why.
You may already know: the North Atlantic right whale is an endangered species. Today, there are only 364 individuals. This is why every birth brings hope. But whale babies are very fragile, so we have to be cautiously optimistic.
A great season for babies
The good news is that there have been a lot of births this year. The baby of Braces, the 23-year-old whale who was spotted in Florida, is the fourteenth to be born this season.
Some people work very hard to protect endangered species. This is the case of biologist Lyne Morissette, a specialist in marine mammals. “We would need many more births to hope to see the population recover. Beyond 20 calves, we can speak of a good birthing season,” she explains.
The birthing season ends in March, in about two months. It is therefore likely that we will reach 20 births by then.
Several threats
Why is this species threatened? There are several reasons.
First, ships sometimes collide with whales. The injuries sustained are often severe enough for them to die.
Another problem: right whales sometimes get stuck in fishing gear. For example, marine animals have difficulty avoiding the long cables to which lobster traps are attached. This is a very common problem. So much so that over the course of its life, a whale has even been entangled eight times… until now.
Warming waters also cause a major problem for this large marine mammal: lack of food.
Measures to protect whales
Many scientists do not want to see this majestic animal disappear! They therefore put in place rules to promote the survival of the right whale. For example, they monitor whales to know their movements and count the number of individuals. Boat navigation routes are also modified to avoid collisions.
Fingers crossed that more calves will be born soon!
According to an article by Alexandre Shields, Le Devoir
Lysiane Alexandre — Collaborator
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