NOAA is currently investigating a distressing incident involving a deceased female North Atlantic right whale discovered near Joseph Sylvia State Beach on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, on January 28. Believed to be a juvenile based on its size, the whale's cause of death is under scrutiny, with a piece of rope embedded in its tail undergoing analysis.
In collaboration with NOAA Fisheries, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Edgartown Police, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, efforts were made to respond to the stranding. Massachusetts state law enforcement collected the entangled rope, delivering it to NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement for further examination.
(A black towing strap was used to pull the whale out of the surf for further documentation. Law enforcement officers removed a piece of rope for analysis. WHOI/Michael Moore, NOAA Permit #24359.)
Authorized members of the National Marine Mammal Stranding Response Network are planning a necropsy (animal autopsy) to determine the cause of death, subject to logistical considerations, as stated by NOAA. The North Atlantic right whale population faces a critical threat of extinction, with only around 360 individuals remaining since a substantial 25 percent decline in recent years. The Martha's Vineyard incident marks the 37th documented death since NOAA declared an "unusual mortality event" for the species.
NOAA and marine mammal protection groups highlight ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements as major contributors to whale mortality. Activist groups, opposing offshore wind energy development, have recently suggested a correlation between whale strandings on the East Coast and survey and construction work on energy projects. These claims surfaced in social media posts following the Martha's Vineyard stranding, particularly in relation to the Vineyard Wind project currently in progress.
Environmental groups are leveraging this tragic incident to reinforce their appeals to NOAA, urging the expansion of vessel speed limits and collaboration with the fishing industry to adopt "ropeless" gear. The goal is to eliminate vertical lines in the water associated with lobster and fish traps, addressing a key concern linked to right whale entanglements.
Whale conservation advocates emphasize that each additional right whale death in a year accelerates the risk of extinction. Jane Davenport, Senior Attorney at Defenders of Wildlife, expresses concern, stating, "We're not even out of January yet, and we've already blown past that limit for 2024. We are running out of time to do what needs to be done to reverse course and avoid extinction." The urgency to take decisive actions to protect these endangered species is becoming increasingly apparent.
Source: National Fisherman ( Jan 31, 2024). NOAA examining rope embedded in dead right whale on Martha’s Vineyard. https://www.nationalfisherman.com/northeast/noaa-examining-rope-embedded-in-dead-right-whale-on-marthas-vineyard
