“Hope is a quality of survival, and without it we perish.”
Jane Goodall explains hope as making a plan and setting a direction to move forward, even though you know there will be obstacles to overcome. she continued. “Hope does not negate all the difficulties and all the dangers that exist, but it is not prevented by them. There is a lot of darkness, but our actions create light.”
Researchers have identified four components of hope: The first is to set realistic goals and identify a realistic path to achieving them. Achieving your goals requires mental fortitude to face difficult situations. Fourth is the support of others, camaraderie, and teamwork to overcome adversity along the way. Hope is cyclical. The more of each component we have, the more we encourage each other to act against the wind for the greater good.
I recently attended. North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium Annual MeetingThe two-day Ropeless Consortium Annual Meeting was held in Providence, RI. The good news is that the right whale population has increased to 372 in 2023. In 2022, the right whale population increased by 1.9% to 367. The 2023 population increase included 12 baby whales.
A risk-taking challenge
Unfortunately, in 2024, three right whales were spotted. killed in ship attacksingly entanglement And for one, the cause is unknown. What was surprising was the death of four females with their calves. Researchers estimate that four calves died. In 2024, at least 12 right whales were injured.
The consortium is working with governments to reduce ship strikes by mandating that ship travel not exceed 10 knots when whales are present. The situation is more complicated than you think. That’s because right whales don’t migrate to Cape Cod and the islands, except for females who give birth in their warmer natal grounds. Fin whales are difficult to spot because they swim lower in the water and raise their tails less frequently than other whales. And we don’t know where many of the whales might be.
Between June and September each year, more than half of the right whale population is invisible. This year, for the first time, large numbers of right whales were observed on the continental shelf between Hudson Canyon and Block Canyon. Over 15 flights over 11 days from late May to July, we identified 143 unique right whales!
Using unlined lobster trap lines has proven to be much more difficult. A reliable device has been developed in which a buoy rises to the surface at the signal of an arriving lobster boat. The advantage is shorter lines and less time required to transport equipment on board. The Lobster Man isn’t crazy about the system for recovering pots when it requires rebooting the computer six times. They are very concerned about how their information will be managed. Who has access to what information? There are concerns the government will mandate that all lobster fleets in New England pay for Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet constellation to access and retrieve their traps.
Buying a house
The whales appear to be developing spring nursery habitat, as the rate of mother right whales bringing their calves to Cape Cod Bay has increased since 2016. The first cow and calf colony in the bay since 1998 to 2015 occurred on April 7. The first cow-calf count since 2016 took place on March 27. Mother-calf pairs also spent more time in the bay. Before 2016, the average was 12.2 days. Since 2016, it lasts 17.4 days. From 2016 to 2024, 43 right whale mothers brought their calves to Cape Cod Bay. Eight were new mothers. Sixteen had brought in at least one calf before, and 19 had never brought in a calf.
These changes in whale behavior may indicate deterioration of adjacent whale habitat. Phytoplankton, the tiny plants at the base of the Gulf of Maine’s food pyramid, are 65 percent less productive than they were 25 years ago. The main prey of right whales are copepods. Today’s copepods have less fat and fewer calories, so whales must consume more for the same nutritious meal.
Impact of arrests at sea
In 1996, Monsanto developed seeds resistant to glyphosate, the herbicide in Roundup, and its use increased tenfold. The decline in right whale feeding is likely to have more to do with increased herbicide use and increased water runoff than with increased nutrient pollution and rising ocean temperatures.
In the summer of 2021, daytime temperatures rose nearly 4 degrees above average (73.7 degrees Fahrenheit), but sea surface temperatures did not rise above average. Ironically, in 2023, the Gulf of Maine experienced its hottest sea surface temperatures on record, even though the average summer temperature was only 70 degrees.
In 2023, more than 20 inches of rain fell, causing oceans to warm. This is the heaviest rainfall since 1955. We have lost much vegetation and soil in recent decades, replaced by impervious surfaces, highways, cement, and urbanization. Less water infiltrates the ground to recharge aquifers and stay there during dry seasons. Instead, pools of water form on the impermeable surface of the heat island. Rainwater is warmed and then washed away. Fresh, warm water is lighter than salt water. It spreads across the ocean surface, covering the waters of the continental shelf at a constant 54 degrees, keeping winters warm and summers cool.
Action to protect right whales
Any hope of increasing right whale populations depends on our actions as governments and within our own neighborhoods. The government is working out details to regulate boat speeds and implement line-free lobster traps. With knowledge of how we have disrupted the water cycle, we must take responsibility for keeping rainwater in the land by planting more vegetation and soil, building more rain barrels, and creating rain gardens. Potted plants can also help.
Water in the ground allows plants to continue photosynthesizing and reduces carbon dioxide when the ground dries. This reduces the amount of hot water, cooling the water while also reducing harmful pollutants from entering the whale nursery.
More people are needed to make hopeful action for right whales a success. Let’s get together and ask for suggestions. Right Whale National Marine SanctuarySandy waters sweep from Duxbury Beach around Cape Cod to Point Judith and Rhode Island’s south coast, connecting Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge.
The Right Whale NMS brings together all stakeholders and marine users and gives everyone a voice through representatives who serve on advisory committees. While governments regulate boat speeds and fisheries, the Right Whale NMS develops best practices for how to operate and treat land and sea, starting with the land and nearby areas. There is hope that more right whales frequenting our coasts will brighten our lives with wonder.
Dr. Rob Moir is a nationally recognized and award-winning environmental activist. He is president and executive director of the Ocean River Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a nonprofit organization that provides expertise, services, resources and information not available at the local level to support the efforts of environmental organizations. Please visit us www.oceanriver.org For more information
