17334
Open
US Management Efforts to Recover North Atlantic Right Whales
Eric Patterson, Deborah Fauquier, Kristy Long, Caroline Good, Trevor Spradlin, Sarah Wilkin, Shannon Bettridge, Diane Borggaard, Mike Asaro, Barb Zoodsma
International Whaling Commission
2020
SC/68B/NH/04
The North Atlantic right whale is listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) and is a depleted stock under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Both statutes direct NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) to recover and conserve the North Atlantic right whale. The two primary threats to North Atlantic right whale recovery are entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes. NOAA Fisheries has undertaken and continues to take numerous efforts to address these threats. Below we describe recent efforts to manage these threats, with a focus on efforts and updates from 2019 to present.