North Atlantic right whales are among the rarest marine mammals in the world, and they have endured a deadly year. The high year of mortality is coinciding with a year of poor reproduction, and there are only about 100 breeding female North Atlantic right whales left. Mark Murray-Brown, an Endangered Species Act consultant for NOAA, said right whales have been declining in abundance since 2010, with females hit harder than males. “The current status of the right whales is a critical situation, and using our available resources to recover right whales is of high importance and high urgency,” he said. A five-year NOAA review of right whales that was released in October said the animals should remain on the endangered list.

Source: The Guardian December 11, 2017 00:56 UTC