The population of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale increased by five individuals, bringing the estimated total to 372 in 2023, according to an Oct. 22 report. The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) population has declined since 2011. However, the slight rise in recent years may signal some stability for these ocean giants, which can grow up to 16 meters (52 feet) in length and weigh as much as 63 metric tons, but they remain on the edge of extinction as threats to their survival, such as fishing and ocean traffic, persist. “To see the population estimate increasing gives us hope that what felt like a free fall over the past decade may be behind us,” Heather Pettis, chair of the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium that produced the report, said in a statement. A bit over a decade ago, in 2011, the North Atlantic right whale population was estimated at around 483, but by 2020 it had plummeted to 358. More than a fourth of the population was lost mostly to human-induced deaths such as ship strikes and entanglements with fishing gear. More than 80% of North Atlantic right whales have been entangled in fishing gear at least once in their lives, researchers found in a 2018 survey. But death isn’t the only risk: the stress and extra energy from entanglement reduces the likelihood that a female will successfully give birth. Many more surviving whales have visible scars. “We are losing right whales at unsustainable rates and…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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