Since humans have such a large impact on the North Pacific Right Whale, there are multiple actions we can do to keep these animals safe. The best course of actions is to keep our distance from these animals and try our best to avoid them when out at sea. If you happen to see an animal tangles up or in distress, report it immediately. Do not just escape the scene, leaving the whale to struggle. There are a plethora of organizations around the world that trained to assist whales with these types of situations. Additionally, a huge portion of our toxic waste and oil spills into the ocean. In the events of a huge spill of oil, we need to develop oil response plans, since these oils can affect growing patterns for algal blooms. We need to encourage people to educate themselves about these mammals and how we are affecting their existence. We must encourage fishermen and mariners to stay at a safe speed around the whales to avoid ship strikes. Lastly, we need to use less fossil fuels to decrease pollution. We should encourage more people to purchase electric cars instead of gas-reliant cars, to decrease the amount of gas being used everyday, since fossil fuels are one of the main reasons that are planet is warming up. If we start to take these actions into our own hands, we could save these animals and hopefully increase their population.
Why?
The current population of the North Pacific Right Whale is estimated at approximately 30-35 whales in the easter North Pacific and 300+ whales in the western portion of its range.
*Disclaimer: The reason there is a huge gap between the recorded number of the species is due to the North Atlantic Right Whale and the North Pacific Right Whale being classified as the same species, until around the 1960s-1970s, when the North Pacific Right Whale was first named its own species separate from the North Atlantic Right Whale. It was not until the 2000s, when laws were enacted about the illegality of killing these whales that the recorded number of these whales began increasing. Lawmakers are hoping that these new laws will allow for expansion of the North Pacific Right Whale population, as an increasing trend has already emerged since the creation of the laws.
| Year | Number of Whales |
Pre 1835
|
20,000-35,000
|
Late 2000s
|
30-35
|
Present
|
500 (at least 125 of each gender)
|
Education and Learning about the Species
Sites Today (2016)
