North Atlantic Right Whale Conservation - The Power is on the President
The Canadian Wildlife Federation states that human activities are the leading cause of death amongst North Atlantic right whales. Even though the IUCN has had this creature on their watch-list for decades, and the fishing and distribution of right whale products has been outlawed worldwide, so far, this has not been enough to preserve the species. Since 2017, 30 right whale fatalities have been caused by people. There were 17 deaths in 2017, three in 2018, and 10 in 2019. With no calves born in 2018, the population number is becoming dangerously low. With an estimated 400 individuals left in the wild, the pressure is on for Atlantic countries to start taking action (CWF, 2019). Canada has started, but the United States is working backwards. Letās take a look at what has been done so far:Ā
In March of 2020, the Trudeau Administration released enhanced conservation measures effective immediately. The plans were created in response to the high levels of deaths of the North Atlantic right whale in Canadian waters in the last 5 years. The highest risks for right whale deaths are ship strikes, net entanglement and strangulation, and habitat pollution or loss due to oil drilling. To address these concerns, the bill includes reducing the speed limit in the Gulf of St Lawrence to 10 knots (about 18km/hr), as well as monitoring speeds throughout other Atlantic channels. The Bay of Fundy will be temporarily closed to fishing, and several trials of net and rope free fishing are being set up throughout the coast and high-traffic areas for the North Atlantic right whale (Monga Bay, 2020).Ā
However, the United States has chosen to ignore warnings from conservationists, especially recently, in favour of oil drilling. In fact, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was forced to change their findings of threats made to the right whale by seismic air guns used for oil location by the Trump Administration. This, of course, is an act of blatant eco-malpractice by the American government, ignoring wildlife federations pleas to reduce their drilling and air gun usage. When political agendas interlace with the lives of severely endangered species, nobody wins. The NOAA was essentially ordered to lie on official documents about their research, so that the Trump Administration would be allowed to continue the use of seismic air guns to find more oil deposits (Holzman, 2020). These guns are extremely loud, one of the loudest man made sounds possible, and damaging to the water and sediment in the ocean, not to mention the effects on wildlife. If air guns are blasted in migratory and/or birthing areas for the North Atlantic right whale, it can lead to the end of the species altogether. No government should be able to strong-arm global organizations that are trying to protect vital species to our planet.Ā
Canada has proven that economic concerns can be adjusted and adapted, so as to not destroy and lose an endangered species, and it is time for the United States to follow suit. Skeptics might suggest that oil as a resource is far more important than the lives of ājust some whales.ā However, this is an ignorant stance to take. Whales of all types are incredibly important in multiple ways. North Atlantic right whales are baleen whales, meaning they filter and eat microscopic phytoplankton and other small organisms through a set of thousands of hair-like bones in their mouths. Since phytoplankton use carbon as an energy source, whales help to offset the amount of atmospheric carbon, creating better quality breathing air on land. Whales are even more valuable to carbon neutrality than trees are. In a lifetime, whales can absorb and ālockā around 30,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. This number can be even larger for the Great whales- of which the North Atlantic right whale is a part of. To compare, 1 tree can only absorb about 21 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year (Horton, 2019). Naturally, this means that preserving whale species is absolutely crucial to carbon offsetting and trying to achieve overall carbon neutrality.Ā
Culturally, the North Atlantic right whale used to be a staple source of blubber, meat, skin, oil and bones for several Northeastern Indigenous groups. A Miākmaq legend states that the right whale was the master of life in the ocean, and a close ally to Glooscap, the Miākmaq Creator (NOTLA, 2015). In becoming protected, North Atlantic right whale capture is much more strongly regulated (downright outlawed in most places), and also nearly impossible. Due to their dangerously small population, catching a whale of any size is a treacherous task that often comes up unfruitful. This impacts the cultural and economic standing of Indigenous communities in both Canada and the United States Eastern coasts.Ā
Tourism surrounding the North Atlantic right whale is also a great source of income for the economy, as whale watching trips are huge tourist selling points along both the East coast of Canada, as well as the United States, Greenland and the United Kingdom. Since regulations are now being put in place to reduce human traffic in well-known North Atlantic right whale areas, taking negative actions against these whales will absolutely hurt the economy, not just in Canada, but globally.Ā
The Trump Administration and the United States government showing no concern for the importance of the North Atlantic right whaleās conservation proves a clear lack of understanding of just how much a species like this can impact the cultural, economic and environmental sectors of our world today. It is time that the USA follows its neighbours from the Northās lead, and heed the warnings of conservationists in order to make sure that this vital species stays alive, and hopefully begins to grow.