EFFORTS CONTINUE TO HELP INJURED RIGHT WHALE

June 22, 2001 — Scientists have again sighted the endangered North Atlantic right whale which is entangled by heavy line off Cape Cod, Mass. This most recent sighting, on June 19, confirms the line is still cinched around the whale's mouth and head. The whale's position has been constantly monitored by a satellite telemetry buoy attached during the June 9 observation. The whale has remained within the confines of the Great South Channel habitat area where its food is concentrated and entangling fishing gear is prohibited. Preparations are underway to embark a team of veterinarians and whale experts to attempt an at-sea operation to remove the potentially lethal line. If weather conditions permit, the team hopes to dispatch a smaller crew to conduct close-in observation of the whale's condition as early as Saturday. (Click on NOAA image for larger view of injured right whale. Click here for a tiff image, which is a large file at 180 dpi.)

"If the line is not removed, it is highly probable that the whale will succumb to the associated injuries," says Dr. Teri Rowles, of NOAA Fisheries, who heads the nation's marine mammal health and stranding response program and is the managing vet for the operation. "We are planning to attempt this rescue because losing even one reproductively active member of this rare and endangered species population is a factor in survival of the species," she said. Team experts agree that any procedure will be stressful for the whale and dangerous for the people who are trying to help. (Click on NOAA image for larger view.)

The effort is the first mission of its kind involving a mature right whale. NOAA Fisheries is the federal agency that oversees marine mammals in the nation's waters. Others on the team include disentanglement experts from the Center for Coastal Studies, a Provincetown-based marine conservation organization that specializes in large whale recovery, and various researchers and field specialists from the New England Aquarium. Logistical support will also involve the U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA's Atlantic Marine Center, and the state of Massachusetts.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA Fisheries

NOAA's Atlantic Marine Center

Center for Coastal Studies

New England Aquarium

Media Contacts:
Teri Frady, NOAA Fisheries, (508) 495-2239/ (508) 509-5860; Scott Landry, Center for Coastal Studies, (508) 487-3281; Tony Lacasse, New England Aquarium, (617) 973-5213

 

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