Conservation group ‘cautiously optimistic’ after strong right whale calving season

Hanna Vatcher with conservation group Oceana talks about the North Atlantic right whale.

Hanna Vatcher with Oceana, a conservation group, says they are “cautiously optimistic” after the North Atlantic right whale saw its strongest calving season in nearly two decades.

“We’re seeing 23 calves,” she told CTV News Atlantic’s Todd Battis. “It’s the highest number of calves we’ve seen in 17 years.

“Last year we only saw 11 calves born. It’s definitely hopeful news and a real testament to the resilience of the species.”

The estimated population of the right whale now rests at 384. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says there are roughly 70 reproductively active females.

“Endangered North Atlantic right whales remain highly vulnerable to extinction, as human impacts continue to threaten the survival of this species,” NOAA says on its website.

In the last decade, 11 North Atlantic right whales have died from entanglements while 36 have been seriously injured.

Vatcher says despite the strong calving season this year, the whale population remains fragile.

“We need about 50 calves a year over multiple years to rebound,” she said. “We’re not quite there yet. They’re facing threats with getting entangled in fishing gear.”

Vatcher said the federal government’s recent Whalesafe Fishing Gear Strategy could help the whales. The strategy aims to reduce entanglements by implementing “ropeless” fishing gear and advocating for rope that is designed to break with 1,700 pounds of force.