NAHANT (Photos) North Atlantic Right Whales have been spotted from Nahant this weekend, beginning Friday morning on the north side of Nahant. The photos below were taken by Nahant S.W.I.M. on Saturday 3/21. The whales numbering from 2-7 were spotted near Egg Rock; which can be seen from Nahant and Swampscott. (For additional information on the whales read below or click here)
Nahant S.W.I.M. Inc. (Nahant Safer Waters in Massachusetts Inc.), PO Box 57, Nahant, MA 01908 – nahantswim.org – Special thanks to Vi Patek, President
Information from NOAA
About The Species
The North Atlantic right whale is one of the world’s most endangered large whale species, with only about 400 whales remaining. Two other species of right whale exist in the world’s oceans: the North Pacific right whale, which is found in the Pacific Ocean, and the southern right whale, which is found in the southern hemisphere. Right whales are baleen whales, feeding on shrimp-like krill and small fish by straining huge volumes of ocean water through their baleen plates, which act like a sieve.
By the early 1890s, commercial whalers had hunted right whales in the Atlantic to the brink of extinction. Whaling is no longer a threat, but human interactions still present the greatest danger to this species. Entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes are among the leading causes of North Atlantic right whale mortality. Increasing ocean noise levels from human activities interferes with whale communication, and is also a concern.
NOAA Fisheries and our partners are dedicated to conserving and rebuilding the North Atlantic right whale population. We use a variety of innovative techniques to study, protect, and rescue these endangered whales. We engage our partners as we develop regulations and management plans that foster healthy fisheries and reduce the risk of entanglements, create whale-safe shipping practices, and reduce ocean noise.
Status
North Atlantic right whales have been listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act since 1970. Today researchers estimate there are about 400 North Atlantic right whales (best estimate is that there were 409 at the end of 2018) with fewer than 100 breeding females left. Only 12 births have been observed in the three calving seasons since 2017, less than one-third the previous average annual birth rate for right whales. This, together with an unprecedented 30 mortalities since 2017 (part of a declared Unusual Mortality Event), accelerates the downward trend that began around 2010, with deaths outpacing births in this population.
