In recent years, initiatives to safeguard the dwindling population of North Atlantic right whales have involved implementing speed restrictions for ships in known whale habitats to reduce collisions and promoting the use of ropeless fishing gear to prevent entanglements. However, shifts in the whales’ distribution have posed challenges to these efforts.
To address this issue, researchers from the University of Maine and the New England Aquarium are collaborating to enhance their modeling techniques for predicting the whales’ movements. Camille Ross, an associate research scientist at the New England Aquarium, emphasized the difficulty of continuous whale monitoring due to their extensive ocean range, highlighting the significance of modeling to bridge observation gaps.
Ross led a study titled “Incorporating prey fields into North Atlantic right whale density surface models,” recently published in the Endangered Species Research journal. The research underscores the critical status of the North Atlantic right whale population, estimated at around 370 individuals globally, with approximately 70 reproductive-age females.
As the whales adapt to changing ocean conditions by exploring new areas, the models must anticipate shifts in feeding habitats. By analyzing zooplankton, particularly calanoid copepods – a primary food source for the whales – researchers predict whale movements based on prey availability. Leveraging historical zooplankton data and statistical algorithms, they create comprehensive maps of prey distribution in the Northwest Atlantic.
Ross emphasized the ongoing need for data refinement to enhance model accuracy, especially given climate-induced habitat alterations affecting whale behavior. Matt Abbott, Fundy Baykeeper and Marine Program Director at the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, commended the research’s importance in informing decision-makers on conservation strategies to mitigate human impacts on the vulnerable right whale population.
Abbott highlighted the critical role of collaborative efforts across industries to protect the whales, emphasizing the significance of each individual whale, particularly breeding females. The study’s findings offer valuable insights for conservation measures, aiming to minimize adverse interactions such as entanglements and ship strikes, crucial for the survival of these iconic marine mammals.
