Endangered North Atlantic right whales are making a slow comeback 

The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is one of the most endangered large whales. Their very name references their devastating decline—they were the “right” whales for whalers to target, since the animals floated after being killed. 

Today, their biggest threats are ship collisions and getting tangled in fishing gear. For once, however, there’s good news from the marine conservation community. Estimates for North Atlantic right whale populations are slowly increasing, according to a New England Aquarium statement.

Researchers at the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, New England Aquarium, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimate that in 2024, there were around 384 individuals, which is a 2.1 percent increase from the previous year’s estimate. 

As for 2025, thus far there have been 11 known calf births, zero detected deaths, and notably fewer detected significant entanglements and vessel strikes, Heather Pettis, senior scientist at the New England Aquarium, tells Popular Science. 

“The population increase is really good news, and so far, what we’ve seen in 2025 is also good news,” Pettis explains. However, “we’re talking about a population of 384 individual whales– that’s still incredibly low. Yes, we’re seeing increases.
They’re small, and we still are seeing injuries to animals from human activities. And so, you know, I say that we’re cautiously optimistic.”

Pettis adds that we can’t lessen our drive in regards to conservation efforts, and that we need regulatory processes as well as efforts outside of the regulatory processes, such as creative industry solutions and public awareness. In Massachusetts, for example, Cape Cod’s mitigation efforts include fishing limits for when right whales are known to be in the area. 

Pettis also describes new on-demand technology in the fishing industry currently being trialed in the U.S. and Canada that aims to avoid whale entanglement in the ropes connecting traps on the seafloor to buoys at the water’s surface. Simply put, the technology keeps the rope out of the water column until fishmen need to pull their gear back up. 

“Removing those vertical ropes from the water is a huge conservation benefit to right whales,” Pettis explains. As for collisions, there are many people working on the question of how to “connect with mariners and let them know you’re entering an area where it would benefit the whales to slow down.” 

Another approach beyond regulation has to do with right whale eyesight. A study on humpback whales published earlier this year suggests their eyesight is worse than researchers expected, suggesting they might not be able to see fishing gear until it’s too late. 

As for the whale species in question, “I’m not sure that work’s been published, but there are some thoughts on colors that right whales might better respond to and see better, if you will, in the water column,” Pettis explains. “Are there ways in which we could alter the color of ropes? Might that help? So that’s a lingering question.”

 

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