“Hope is a quality of survival, without it we perish.”
Jane Goodall explains that hope is planning and setting a course to move forward, even when you know there are obstacles to overcome. she continued. “Hope does not negate all the difficulties and dangers that exist, but it is not stopped by them either. There is a lot of darkness, but our actions create light.”
Researchers have identified four components of hope. The first is to set realistic goals and identify a realistic path to achieving them. Achieving your goals requires mental fortitude in the face of difficult situations. Fourth, support from others, camaraderie, and teamwork to overcome adversity encountered along the way. Hope is cyclical. The more of each component, the more they can encourage each other to act against the wind for the greater good.
I recently joined North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium Annual Meetingthe Ropeless Consortium Annual Meeting was held for two days in Providence, Rhode Island. The good news is that the right whale population increased to 372 individuals in 2023. In 2022, there were 367 right whales, an increase of 1.9%. The 2023 population increase included 12 whale calves.
take on risks
Unfortunately, in 2024, three right whales went extinct. killed in ship collisionone by one tangle and those of unknown cause. Alarmingly, four females carrying calves died. Researchers estimate that four calves died. At least 12 right whales were injured in 2024.
The consortium is working hard with governments to reduce ship collisions by requiring ships to not exceed 10 knots in the presence of whales. The situation is more complicated than it seems because right whales, except for females with their calves, do not migrate from their warm natal waters to Cape Cod and the islands. Right whales are difficult to spot because they swim lower than other whales and raise their tails less frequently. And we don’t know where there are many whales.
More than half of the right whale population is not observed between June and September each year. This year, for the first time, large numbers of right whales were observed on the continental shelf between Hudson Canyon and Block Canyon. During 15 flights over 11 days from late May to July, we sighted 143 unique right whales.
Using a lineless lobster trap line has proven even more difficult. Reliable gear has been developed that allows the buoy to surface upon a signal from an arriving lobster boat. The advantage is that it takes less time to bring shorter lines and gear on board. Lobsterman isn’t thrilled about a system that restores pots when he has to restart his computer six times. They are very concerned about how their information is managed. Who has access to what information? Could the government require all New England lobster fleets to pay a fee to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet constellation to access and retrieve their traps? There are concerns.
build a house
Since 2016, an increasing number of mother right whales have brought their calves to Cape Cod Bay, suggesting that the whales are preparing the environment for their spring nursery. From 1998 to 2015, the first cow and calf to be seen in the bay was on April 7th. Since 2016, the first cow and calf location took place on March 27th. The mother cow pair is also spending more time in the bay. Prior to 2016, the average was 12.2 days. Since 2016, it lasts 17.4 days. From 2016 to 2024, 43 mother right whales brought their calves to Cape Cod Bay. Eight were primiparas. Sixteen had previously brought in at least one calf, and 19 had never brought in a calf.
This change in whale behavior may indicate degradation of adjacent whale habitat. Productivity of phytoplankton, the tiny plants at the bottom of the Gulf of Maine’s food pyramid, is 65% lower than it was 25 years ago. The right whale’s main food is copepods. Copepods now have less fat and less caloric value, so whales have to eat more to get the same nutritious diet.
Effects of Roundup at Sea
In 1996, Monsanto developed seeds that were resistant to glyphosate, the herbicide in Roundup, and its use increased tenfold. The decline in right whale prey is more likely to be related to increased herbicide use and water runoff, rather than increased nutrient pollution or rising ocean temperatures.
Summer 2021 daytime temperatures were nearly 4 degrees warmer than average (73.7 degrees Fahrenheit), but sea surface temperatures were no warmer than average. Paradoxically, in 2023, the Gulf of Maine recorded its hottest sea surface temperature ever, even though the average summer temperature was only 70 degrees.
In 2023, more than 20 inches of rain fell, the most since 1955, warming the oceans. We have lost much of our vegetation and soil in recent decades, replaced by impervious surfaces, highways, cement, and urbanization. Less water will seep into the ground to recharge the aquifer and stay there during dry periods. Instead, water puddles form on the impermeable surfaces of the heat island. Rainwater is heated before being flushed away. Fresh warm water is lighter than salt water. This water spreads across the ocean surface and blankets the continental shelf waters at a constant 54 degrees, making winters warmer and summers cooler.
Act to protect right whales
Any hope of increasing right whale populations depends on our actions in government and neighboring communities. The government is working out details to regulate boat speeds and introduce line-free lobster pots. Having clearly recognized how we have disrupted the water cycle, we are now trying to improve rainwater by planting more vegetation and soil, building more rainwater tanks, and creating rain gardens. must be responsible for keeping the aircraft on land. Potted plants are also effective.
Water on the ground allows plants to continue photosynthesizing, and when it dries out, they absorb carbon dioxide. This reduces the washing of harmful pollutants into whale habitats while cooling the seawater through less hot water.
We need more people to make hopeful action for right whales a success. Let’s unite and call for suggestions Right Whale National Marine Sanctuarya sandy, shallow body of water that stretches from Duxbury Beach around Cape Cod and the islands to Point Judith and the southern coast of Rhode Island, connecting Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge.
The Right Whale NMS will bring together all stakeholders and ocean users and give everyone a voice through representation on the Advisory Board. While governments regulate boat speeds and fishing, Lightwhale NMS develops best practices for how we operate and treat the land and sea, starting with our own properties and neighborhoods. I am. It is hoped that more right whales will frequent our shores and brighten our lives with wonder.
Dr. Rob Moir is a nationally recognized and award-winning environmental activist. He is president and executive director of Ocean River Research Institute, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This nonprofit organization supports the efforts of environmental organizations by providing expertise, services, resources, and information not available at the local level. Please take a look www.oceanriver.org For more information.
