An international conservation organization says the North Atlantic right whale is now one step away from extinction.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the mammal as “critically endangered” in its latest Red List of Threatened Species.
It says there were fewer than 250 mature whales estimated to be alive at the end of 2018, with the population declining by about 15 per cent since 2011.
“This decline is being driven by a combination of increased mortality due to entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes, and a lower reproduction rate compared to previous years,” said the IUCN.
It said 26 of 30 human-caused deaths or serious injuries between 2012 and 2016 were due to entanglement.
The conservation organization also noted that climate change appears to be exacerbating the threats to the North Atlantic right whale.
“Warmer sea temperatures have likely pushed their main prey species further north during summer, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where the whales are more exposed to accidental encounters with ships and also at high risk of entanglement in crab-pot ropes,” it said.
