The North Atlantic right whale's population has increased by 7% since 2020, the Guardian reported.
This year, the species grew by eight individuals and totals about 384, according to the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium. Scientists attribute this trend to conservation measures, such as management efforts to keep whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Protections like these are crucial for the North Atlantic right whale, which was nearly hunted to extinction in the 19th century and declined about 25% between 2010 and 2020.
Additionally, more than 20% of the species have died, been injured, or become sick amid an ongoing, unusual mortality event that began in 2017, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Many of these fatalities resulted from entanglements with fishing gear or collisions with ships.
Rising temperatures also threaten the whales. Fewer births and longer intervals between them suggest that females have insufficient nourishment to reproduce, NOAA explained.
However, four North Atlantic right whales became mothers for the first time this year, while existing mothers experienced shorter intervals between births. The 11 new calves are fewer than scientists had hoped, but their addition to the species offers hope for its future.
"The slight increase in the population estimate, coupled with no detected mortalities and fewer detected injuries than in the last several years, leaves us cautiously optimistic about the future of North Atlantic right whales," North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium Chair Heather Pettis said.
While the whales have been federally protected since their listing on the Endangered Species Act in 1970, more aggressive measures are needed to help them fully recover.
Gib Brogan, a senior campaign director with Oceana, stated, per the Guardian, that Congress needs to "uphold, not undermine, the laws, programs and experts that give North Atlantic right whales a fighting chance for continued survival."
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