By Marina Giovannellli
Wilmington, NC –
Right Whales are in the midst of their annual migration from New England's coast to waters off Georgia and Florida, a trip that is both necessary and dangerous.
Most of the whales are pregnant females. They are gliding along North Carolina's coast as they travel over 1,000 miles to give birth in warm, calm southern waters.
Only about 300 Right Whales are alive today, according to biologist Barb Zoodsma. The endangered Right Whales are vulnerable during their migration, when they may collide with vessels or get tangled up in fishing gear.
Zoodsma says she works with fishermen to make their gear whale-proof.
"How do you make the rope less threatening to whales, and it's through gear modification, and it's basically by putting these weak links into lines that will break when pressure is excreted on the line," says Zoodsma.
William McLellan studies large whale mortality at UNCW, and he says whales must be protected if the population has any chance of rebounding.
"Right whale mortality has been a significant issue for these animals. At the best years, we have 20-25 calves being born a year, so the development of this population is going to take decades before they are recovered in any way at all," says McLellan.
And as for collisions between whales and vessels, a seasonal law takes effect in a couple of weeks. It'll require large ships to slow down when passing through dense whale migration areas.
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