Mammal Monday -- the North Atlantic Right Whale

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When I was the natural resources program manager for the U.S. Coast Guard, one of the projects I enjoyed most was a program to protect the North Atlantic Right Whale.  Population numbers for these whales hit a peak of 482 in 2010 after almost being hunted to extinction earlier in the 20th century (in 1935, scientists estimated that only 60 whales survived).  Current estimates put this whale population at 451 and dropping.  Today's Washington Post included a very informative article on the right whales and the various issues surrounding its conservation -- check it out.

Live long and prosper

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Since we lost Leonard Nimoy this past Friday, I thought I’d mention a couple of great Star Trek episodes that touched on environmental topics.  First, there was the classic “Trouble with Tribbles” episode, which dealt with population growth and resource use (yes it did):

And then there’s human population growth.  I’ve posted about it in the past, but Star Trek did it in a very memorable (and now politically biased) way:

But greenmomster’s favorite had to be Star Trek: The Voyage Home.  I was so jealous when Spock got to swim with the whales:

Here’s to you Leonard Nimoy – you’ll be missed!

Green Getaways–The New Bedford Whaling Museum

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If you’re headed to New England this summer and you’d like to learn a little something about sustainable fisheries and whales, a visit to the New Bedford Whaling Museum is definitely in order!  I know, when you're thinking green getaways, whaling doesn't often come to mind, but this museum is very informative and really tells a very honest story of the history and impacts of whaling.  The museum, which is over 100 years old, sits next to the New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park.  It’s filled with many exhibits on the local area and the history of whaling in the area.  The museum also includes fascinating displays giving information on various whale species (I especially like the comparison between a t-rex tooth and a whale tooth) and the impacts of overfishing and depletion of natural resources.  The museum has the world’s largest library of whaling logbooks, the world’s largest collection of scrimshaw (unbelievably detailed work!), and the world’s largest model ship, the Lagoda, a half-scale whale ship built in 1916.  Many of the exhibits are hands-on, which always makes a museum visit more fun.  A fascinating and honest look at the whaling industry, the New Bedford Whaling Museum is worth a visit!

Endangered Species of the Week–Northern Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis)

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When I worked for the U.S. Coast Guard, I was introduced to this week’s endangered species, the northern right whale (photo from nationalgeographic.com).  These majestic creatures are endangered throughout their range (NOAA/NMFS are primarily responsible for their protection in the U.S.), with a population number of 300-400 whales.  Despite weighing nearly 70 tons, right whales survive by eating zooplankton, some of the smallest creatures in the sea.  Right whales are baleen whales, which means they strain water through brush-like mouth parts, rather than teeth, to get the food they need.  Right whales can live for over 50 years, first producing offspring at about 9-10 years.  Their gestation period is roughly one year, and they usually only give birth to one calf at a time.  According to the International Whaling Commission, right whales migrate up and down the U.S. east coast as they cycle through their four yearly activities:  feeding, calving, nursery, and breeding.  The most common threats to right whales are ship collisions and entanglement in fishing gear.  The U.S. and 70 other countries no longer hunt whales, but Norway, Iceland, and Japan are three countries still pushing for commercial harvest of whales.  On a personal note, my grandfather worked on a whaling ship once, after WWII. He was in the German navy and needed to find work after the war. My mother told me that after he returned from his trip on a whaling vessel, my grandfather said that if whales could scream, no one would ever hunt them again, but we do, because they can’t.

 

OK, so they’re majestic, but why should we really care about great whales in general and right whales in particular?  As stated in Wildlife Heroes (Scardina, Flocken 2012), “The great whales are top-feeders in their ecosystems, controlling the populations of other creatures in their habitat by consuming massive amounts of species such as krill, copepods, plankton, and small fish every day.  Additionally, whale watching generates more than $2 billion annually for coastal areas in more than 100 countries.”