The North Atlantic right whale (Glacial Eubalaena) is one of the most endangered large whales. Their very name refers to their devastating decline: they were the “good” whales for whalers to target, since the animals floated after being killed.
Today, their greatest threats are ship strikes and entanglements in fishing gear. But for once, there is some good news coming from the marine conservation community. Estimates of North Atlantic right whale populations are slowly increasing, according to a news release from the New England Aquarium.
Researchers from the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, the New England Aquarium, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimate that in 2024 there were approximately 384 individuals, representing a 2.1% increase from the previous year’s estimate.
Looking ahead to 2025, so far there have been 11 known calf births, no detected deaths, and significantly fewer significant entanglements and vessel strikes, says Heather Pettis, senior scientist at the New England Aquarium. Popular science.
“The population increase is very good news, and so far what we’ve seen in 2025 is also good news,” Pettis says. However, “we’re talking about a population of 384 individual whales, which is still incredibly low. Yes, we’re seeing increases. They’re small, and we’re still seeing injuries to animals from human activities. And so, you know, I say we’re cautiously optimistic.”
Pettis adds that we cannot diminish our efforts when it comes to conservation efforts and that we need regulatory processes as well as efforts outside of regulatory processes, such as solutions for the creative industry and public awareness. In Massachusetts, for example, Cape Cod mitigation efforts include fishing limits when right whales are known to be in the area.
Pettis also describes a new technology in demand in the fishing industry, currently being tested in the United States and Canada, that aims to prevent whales from becoming entangled in ropes connecting traps on the sea floor to buoys on the water’s surface. Simply put, the technology keeps the rope out of the water column until anglers need to reel in their gear.
“Removing these vertical ropes from the water is a huge conservation benefit for right whales,” says Pettis. When it comes to collisions, many people are working on the question of how to “communicate with mariners and let them know that you are entering an area where it would be beneficial for the whales to slow down.”
Another approach, beyond regulation, concerns the sight of right whales. A study on humpback whales published earlier this year suggests their eyesight is worse than researchers expected, suggesting they may not be able to see fishing gear until it is too late.
As for the whale species in question, “I’m not sure if this work has been published, but there are some thoughts about what colors right whales might respond to better and see better, if you will, in the water column,” Pettis says. “Are there ways we could change the color of the strings? Would that help? So that’s a lingering question.”
