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Article: WHOI Right Whale Initiative accelerates research to help conserve an endangered species.
- Article from:
- Oceanus
- Article date:
- December 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The situation is urgent: Seventy years after whaling was banned, the North Atlantic right whale population has not recovered. Only 300 to 350 remain, and the species is headed toward extinction.
The threats remain dire: Right whales are frequently struck and killed by ships or become fatally entangled in fishing gear, because their migratory routes overlap with major fishing areas and heavily trafficked shipping lanes along the east coasts of the United States and Canada. In addition, the whales aren't reproducing consistently or fast enough to increase their numbers--perhaps because of disease, pollutants, poor food supplies, or genetic problems.
In ...