Only 300 Right Wales Left!
Right Whales, found off the U.S. and Canadian eastern coasts, can grow up to 60 feet and 80 tons. One of the most heavily hunted species for more than eight centuries, only about 300 right whales sadly remain today.

The National Academy of Science has stated that under current conditions the right whale is “doomed to extinction.”

The reasons for this frightening prediction include risks posed by entanglement in fishing gear. Seventy percent of right whales have been injured or scarred by fishing gear. Floating lobster lines can snag whales and impede their ability to breathe, eat, swim and mate. Right whales are particularly vulnerable because they are slow swimmers that feed with their mouths open for up to 20 minutes at a time. Entanglement can drown right whales and even whales that are disentangled may suffer life-threatening infection from deep cuts. Even the slightest chance of capture or injury to a single right whale is too much to risk if this species is to survive.

The good news is that entanglement is highly preventable with the right equipment. IFAW has launched a pilot program to help lobstermen replace dangerous floating rope with state-of-the-art, whale-friendly sinking rope. Every dollar you can spare buys more whale-friendly line to make sure we don’t lose this gentle giant forever.