The North Atlantic right whale is an endangered species with a population of only 300-350 individuals. It is threatened by ship collisions and entanglement in fishing gear as it lives close to coastal areas with shipping traffic. Historically, the species was decimated by commercial whaling due to its slow swimming, tendency to float when dead, and high oil content. Today, other threats include pollution, which has been shown to increase disease susceptibility and reduce reproductive ability in this species. Supporting sustainable fishing and reducing climate change can help protect the highly imperiled North Atlantic right whale.

2. KEY FACTS
• COMMON NAME
• NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE, BLACK RIGHT WHALE, NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE;
BALEINE DE BISCAYE, BALEINE DES BASQUES (FR); BALLENA, BALLENA FRANCA DEL
NORTE (SP)
• SCIENTIFIC NAME
• EUBALAENA GLACIALIS
• STATUS
• IUCN: ENDANGERED
• POPULATION
300-350 INDIVIDUALS
• LOCATION
• ATLANTIC OCEAN (NORTHWEST, WESTERN CENTRAL)

3. APPEARANCE
• LARGE, MOSTLY BLACK WHALE WITH WHITISH PATCHES ON THE HEAD
AND BELLY, NO DORSAL FIN, AND A GRACEFUL, DEEPLY NOTCHED
"FLUKE," OR TAIL.
• LIKE BLUE WHALES AND HUMPBACKS--AND UNLIKE KILLER WHALES
AND SPERM WHALES--IT HAS LONG, MUSTACHE-LIKE FRINGES OF
BALEEN INSTEAD OF TEETH, WHICH IT USES TO STRAIN TINY ANIMALS
FROM THE WATER FOR FOOD.
• TWO BLOWHOLES ON THE TOP OF ITS HEAD GIVE A DISTINCTIVE V-SHAPE
TO A RIGHT WHALE'S SPOUT.
• THE NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE CAN REACH 18 M FOR FEMALES
AND 12.9 M FOR MALES. THE SPECIES CAN WEIGH UP TO 96,000 KG.

4. SIZE RELATIVE TO A BUS

5. • THERE ARE TWO SPECIES OF NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE:
• NORTH PACIFIC RIGHT WHALE
• NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE
RANGE MAPS

6. WHAT ARE THE THREATS TO THE NORTH
ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE ?
• THE TRAGEDY OF BEING SLOW, CLOSE TO LAND, AND RICH IN OIL:
• NORTH ATLANTIC POPULATIONS HAVE BEEN DECIMATED BY HISTORICAL
OVER-EXPLOITATION BY THEWHALING INDUSTRY. THE SPECIES GETS ITS
NAMES FROM EARLY WHALERS, WHO CONSIDERED THEM TO BE THE
"RIGHT" WHALES TO HUNT. THEIR SLOWER PACE, THE FACT THAT THEY
COME CLOSE TO LAND, THEIR TENDENCY TO FLOAT AFTER BEING KILLED
AND THEIR "PRODUCTIVITY" IN TERMS OF OIL MADE THEM LUCRATIVE
ANIMALS TO TARGET.
• TODAY, THE SPECIES IS THREATENED BY SHIP
COLLISIONS, ENTANGLEMENT IN FISHING NETS, AND SEPARATION FROM
CALVING AREAS BECAUSE OF SHIPPING TRAFFIC.

7. • SINCE THIS RIGHT WHALE IS FOUND IN COASTAL
HABITATS, IT IS MORE LIKELY TO SUFFER FROM IMPACTS
OF HUMAN ACTIVITY THAN MORE OPEN-WATER
CETACEANS. WITH SUCH A SMALL, SLOW-GROWING
POPULATION, ANY THREATENING FACTOR MAY HAVE A
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT.
The carcass of a
female Northern
right whale
(Eubalaena
glacialis) killed by
a ship collision,
Nova Scotia,

8. POLLUTION
• THE EFFECTS OF CONTAMINANTS ON CETACEANS
SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISEASE AND REPRODUCTIVE
PERFORMANCE IS INCREASINGLY A CAUSE FOR CONCERN.
FOR EXAMPLE, RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT NORTH
ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES ARE SIGNIFICANTLY EXPOSED
TO A POTENTIALLY TOXIC, DIOXIN-LIKE COMPOUND.

9. HOW CAN YOU HELP ?
• SUPPORT EFFORTS TO IMPROVE FISHING GEAR BY ONLY BUYING SEAFOOD THAT IS
MSC CERTIFIED. THIS CAN HELP TO REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF MARINE BYCATCH,
WHICH KILLS WHALES AND OTHER MARINE LIFE LIKE TURTLES, DOLPHINS, AND
SEABIRDS.
• VOTE EARTH BY TAKING PART IN EARTH HOUR! AS CLIMATE CHANGE IS A
GROWING THREATS FOR WHALES, WE NEED TO SEND A MESSAGE TO OUR LEADERS
THAT WARMING MUST BE LIMITED TO UNDER 2 DEGREES CELSIUS.
• SPREAD THE WORD!!! SHARE THIS INFORMATION TO YOUR FRIEND.