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By CT Harry To unearth a solution to a problem, it is often said that one must start from the truth—and then work your way from there. This is as true of the resolution of problems within the realm of nature as it is of those within human society. Even though our legislative successes as […]
Continue Reading 923 wordsLast weekend a sportfishing boat off the coast of St. Augustine, Florida struck and killed a one-month-old North Atlantic Right Whale calf, according to Florida news outlets. The fishing boat reported the strike after it had to run ground to avoid sinking – the five people aboard were unharmed.
Why This Matters: Since 2017, 47 North Atlantic right whales had been found dead or injured, and the population of this species has shrunk to only 400 members. These deaths are preventable — and environmental groups argue that the government should have stricter rules to protect this species now given the spike in fatalities.
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On Tuesday, as the new First Family entered the White House, another new family was spotted in Georgia, and it has marine advocates just as excited. NOAA fisheries announced the thirteenth spotting of the season of an endangered North Atlantic right whale calf off the coast of Georgia. The calf, seen accompanied by its mother, is her first.
Why This Matters: The North Atlantic right whale was listed as endangered in 1970 and deaths have been outpacing births since 2010. 200 right whales died in the last ten years, almost entirely because of entanglements in commercial fishing ropes and vessel strikes.
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AA announced this week that it is extending its ship speed protections for the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale until Nov. 15 in waters off of southern New England and east of Long Island, New York.
Why this Matters: Earlier this year, even before the updated population count, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List downlisted North Atlantic Right Whales to “critically endangered,” just one step away from extinction.
Continue Reading 425 wordsThe World Wildlife Fund (WWF) issued a new report yesterday illuminating the devastating impact of derelict or abandoned fishing gear in the ocean (aka “ghost gear”), and the numbers are terrifying — between 500,000 and 1,000,000 tons of ghost gear wind up in the ocean EACH YEAR!
Why This Matters: While fishing gear that is in use is a threat to marine life like whales, abandoned fishing gear is just a tragedy waiting to happen and completely needless — eliminating it is totally within our control.
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David Abel is a filmmaker and an award-winning reporter who covers fisheries and environmental issues for The Boston Globe. His most recent film “Entangled,” chronicles the efforts to protect North Atlantic right whales from extinction, the impacts of those efforts on the lobster industry, and how NOAA has struggled to balance the vying interests. The film, which […]
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