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Federal officials have determined that rope found wrapped around the tail of a dead juvenile right whale that washed up on Martha’s Vineyard last month is fishing rope from Maine.
The rope has purple markings on it that are “consistent” with gear used in Maine’s lobster industry, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday.
A necropsy of the whale on Feb. 1 “confirmed a chronic entanglement, with rope deeply embedded in the tail, and thin body condition,” NOAA officials said. “The necropsy showed no evidence of blunt force trauma.”
North Atlantic right whales are an endangered species with approximately 350 individuals existing in the wild, according to NOAA Fisheries estimates. There are estimated to be around 70 females who can breed.
In Maine, regulations aimed at protecting right whales have come under fire from commercial lobster fishers, who had been asked to use specific gear and adhere to certain zoning regulations to protect the whale. The lobstermen argue that the regulations put undue stress on their industry, even though many fishermen claim not to have seen right whales in Maine waters.
“Entanglements are a constant threat to right whales, cutting their lives short and painting a disheartening future for this species,” said Erica Fuller of the Conservation Law Foundation, in response to the NOAA Fisheries determination. “There have been concerns about the threat Maine fishing gear poses to right whales for years. It’s time to move forward with new fishing practices to give these endangered whales a chance at survival.”
Officials with the Maine Department of Marine Resources did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
NOAA officials said the full necropsy results are still pending and its investigation of the whale’s death remains open.
Since 2017, the federal government has classified a spike in the number of injuries and deaths of North Atlantic right whales as an “unusual mortality event.
The whale found dead last month was originally identified as being part of that event in August 2022, when it’s injuries were first spotted. It will now be counted among those that have died. A total of 122 whales have been impacted, with 37 dead, 34 seriously injured and 51 in otherwise poor health, federal officials said.
Jane Davenport, senior attorney at Defenders of Wildlife, said that the Maine lobster industry has insisted for years that its gear does not harm right whales, but now that Maine fishermen have to use rope specific to Maine, “it can no longer hide the truth.”
The right whale was a year and a half old when it was first spotted with the rope wrapped around its tail, she said.
“She likely spent at least half of her short life in excruciating pain,” Davenport said. “We cannot avert our eyes from the fact that entanglements are not only pushing this species to the brink of extinction, but brutalizing whales in the process.”