Boats are Causing a WHALE-y Big Problem
By: Tristin Harrell
40 years after the International Whaling Convention outlawed whale hunting on a global scale, humans are still finding ways to harm the third largest animals on Earth.
“Right whales are called the ‘right whale to kill’ because they float after they die,” said Dr. Kathryn Craven through email. “It made it easier to transport the carcass for processing. Hunting of Northern Right whales was estimated to occur for hundreds of years, ending in the 1900’s. By 1990, the population was at its lowest recorded size, less than 300 animals.”
Craven works as a biology professor at Georgia Southern University with a specific focus on marine life. She has partnered with local conservation organizations to highlight the importance of Georgia’s state marine mammal.
The whaling industry might have died down, but these whales are still dying. Why? Boats. Often referred to as the “urban whale” because the creatures encounter humans regularly, the right whales are facing three major problems with boating.
The migration of the North Atlantic Right Whale follows down the eastern seaboard of the United States where busy ports line the way. Because the animals lack a dorsal fin, large cargo ships struggle to spot them. The dorsal fin, which is typically found on the back of sea vertebrates like dolphins and sharks, is just one of the reason these boat strikes happen. When a boat strikes the North Atlantic Right Whale, large gashes pierce the skin leaving the animal in serious pain and open to infections.“Right whales swim relatively close to our coastline, often within 50 miles, meaning they are at a much higher risk of encountering these ships,” said Courtney Reich. Reich serves as the coastal director for Georgia Conservancy, an organization dedicated to conserving the natural resources and land of Georgia. Reich believes that the combination of the whales' close proximity to coastline and their nearness to the water’s surface creates a high risk of vessel strikes.
The second biggest cause for right whale deaths is gear entanglement from fishing boats. When the whales are not traveling, they are primarily located in the northeastern U.S. where the fishing industry dominates the economy. According to Tybee Island Marine Science Center’s Program Director, Ali Caldwell, the highly competitive fishing industry leads to fisheries using longer ropes. Using longer ropes, fishermen hope to catch more crabs and lobsters. These longer ropes, which are attached to buoys and traps, become twisted around the pictorial fins. Once the ropes are twisted around the whales “arms,” it becomes difficult for the whale to continue swimming. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) believes that the stress these entanglements put on the whales are an underlying cause of population of calving females is lessening. “Vessel strikes and entanglement are the two leading causes of death for right whales, contributing to more than 75% of all whale mortalities,” said Reich.
However, not all dangers lie surface level. Motorized marine equipment like boats and submarines and offshore drilling sites create noise throughout the water. “Animals in general are very sensitive to sound,” said Caldwell. These hums interfere with the North Atlantic Right Whales primary communication method, echolocation. Whales are just one of many marine species that can locate objects using the echos of their calls. Each pod, or a group of whales, has a special sound. These whales then emit the call and wait for the sound waves to hit an object. Once the sound waves return to the whales, the creatures can locate other whales, structures such as coral reefs, and nearby predators. The rumble of the boat’s motors distracts and disorients the whales, who often get the noise confused with fellow whales. Submarines utilize SONAR technology. SONAR mimics echolocation. This technology has been documented to increase stress levels and disrupt the behavior of whales. This is increasingly problematic when the two main U.S. submarine bases are located directly through the migration pattern of the animal.
Hope is not completely lost for these creatures. Coastal Georgia locals are combining their efforts to educate the public through community outreach. Georgia Conservancy recently partnered with the University of Georgia’s Sea Grant and Marine Extension program to research the effectiveness of ropeless fishing gear. The group has found great success with this new technology. With ropeless fishing gear, researchers are hopeful that whale entanglements will decline. Tybee Island Marine Science Center is currently spotlighting the North Atlantic Right Whales through a new exhibit titled, “The Right Whale to Save.” The exhibit features family trees and birth rates, documentary-style videos of marine biologists studying the creatures, and interactive displays highlighting the dangerous journey of the whales. The center also hosts Whale Week for local schools where marine scientists and activists teach students the importance of the North Atlantic Right Whale. At the end of Whale Week, students are prompted to create their very own “Save the Whale” poster, which is then displayed at the science center. The recent recipients of the Whale Week 365 grant, Tybee Island Marine Science Center is working to expand their education efforts beyond the classroom. With regulations in place to protect the endangered species and conservation groups lobbying hard on their behalf, the North Atlantic Right Whales have experienced a record setting calving season. Though the creatures are still at a high risk for extinction, Caldwell is holding out hope. The fishermen, politicians and scientists are all going to have to work together. “It takes all of us to really make a difference and it can still happen,” said Caldwell.