Scientists tracked a young #whale's journey before he vanished. What they learned could help save his species.
#Bishop’s story, from birth to presumed death, shows the extreme danger facing right #whales, which could be extinct in 3 decades if they continue to disappear at the present rate. Bishop’s species is not doomed to #extinction …but time is running out.
In most ways #Bishop was a normal #RightWhale. For the first year of his life, his mother nursed & protected him, & he learned to feed by swimming, mouth agape, through patches of plankton floating near the surface.
But on Jan 20, 2015, Bishop became something more: a precious source of data that would help scientists better understand the dangers afflicting his species.
That day, off the coast of New Smyrna Beach, FL, scientists tagged #Bishop w/a satellite transmitter. For the next 50 days, he broadcast his location as he migrated over 1k mi up the #EastCoast. It was one of the longest transmissions of a #NorthAtlantic#RightWhale ever recorded.
…Bishop averaged about 50 mi / day for the rest of his northward journey. By March, he had joined other right #whales to search for food south of Nantucket, MA. On March 11, his tag fell off, ending the transmisison.
For much of his migration, #Bishop swam through waters where the lack of #SpeedLimits makes #vessel strikes more likely.
In 2022, the #Biden admin proposed expanding that area & applying speed limits to smaller #vessels….
The proposed expanded boundaries have been embraced by scientists & advocates, who say it could help save #NorthAtlantic#RightWhales from #extinction. But NOAA Fisheries, the agency behind the proposal, has yet to finalize the rule, which is still being reviewed by the WH.
The delay has frustrated #whale advocates, who say more urgency is required. “As we watch this species go extinct one by one, the solution sits idle in the hands of the administration,” said Kathleen Collins, a snr marine campaign manager at the Intl Fund for #AnimalWelfare.
As a 1-yr-old, #Bishop managed to weave through #vessel-filled waters unscathed. Other #RightWhales aren’t as lucky.
So far this year, a dead female turned up off Virginia w/ a dislocated spine, a calf was discovered in Georgia w/head lacerations, & a young female was found — again in Georgia — w/ a fractured skull. All the injuries are consistent with #vessel strikes.
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