'Downward trend': Critically endangered right whale population drops to lowest level since 2001
BOSTON - The number of critically endangered right whales left in the world is down to a level that has not been seen in two decades.
The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium report estimates there were 340 whales in 2021, a drop of eight from the previous year. Experts say there is hope for the animal - if humans can change their behavior.
"With this new population estimate, the species number is now down to what it was around 2001," New England Aquarium scientist Philip Hamilton said in a statement. "In the ensuing decade, the population increased by 150 whales; that tells us this species can recover if we stop injuring and killing them."
Researchers are worried that only 15 calves were born this year - lower than 18 from 2021 and below the average of 24 per year seen in the early 2000s. They also said there are no first-time mothers this year, which is a sign that fewer female right whales are able to breed.
One seemingly positive note from the report is that there have been no right whale deaths detected in 2022 - but scientists say two-thirds of deaths go undocumented.
A graph from the consortium shows how the population decline isn't quite as steep as recent years. Last year's report initially estimated there were only 336 right whales alive in 2020, but that number was later revised to 348 based on new photo data.
"While it is certainly good to see the slope of the trajectory slow, the unfortunate reality is that the species continues to trend downward, with fewer than 350 individuals alive in 2021," New England Aquarium researcher and consortium executive administrator Heather Pettis said.
Consortium chair Scott Kraus said there are still "unsustainable levels of human-cased injures" to the whales. The report noted five cases of whales getting entangled with fishing gear, at least five more fishing gear interactions that caused wounds and scarring, and one reported vessel strike in 2022.