Expert Interview: Dr. Shannon Bettridge & the North Atlantic Right Whale

Hi Hagfish Day Fans, 
We're excited to have right whale expert, Dr. Shannon Bettridge join us to share her thoughts on why right whales should be part of Hagfish Day's hall of fame.
        Jake, the SeaDog

 

Why is this whale the 'right' whale for Hagfish Day?  Like the Hagfish, the North Atlantic right whale has several physical features that make it unique and set it apart from its fellow sea creatures.  For example, right whales have raised patches of rough skin, called callosities (pronounced: kah-lahs-ōh-teez), on their heads.  These patches are often mistaken for barnacles, but are actually part of the whale itself.  Another thing that sets right whales apart from most other whales is they do not have a dorsal fin. Finally, its spout creates a distinct V-shape when it exhales, so you know for sure you’re in the company of a right whale!  Unfortunately, another reason why the right whale is unique is that it is rarest of all large whale species and among the rarest of all marine mammal species.  Scientists currently estimate there are between 350 and 400 North Atlantic right whales alive today.

Do you think right whales might be intimidated by the beauty that is hagfish?  Right whales are beautiful in their own way.  They are mostly black, although some right whales have large white splotches on their bellies and throats.  They don’t have a dorsal fin, so their back is smooth, which can help you identify them when they dive. But what makes them truly “beautiful” are the its callosities. The callosities typically form above the right whale’s eyes and along its mouth.  To scientists, the callosities are kind of like a “fingerprint.”  Scientists use the callosity patterns to identify individual right whales and give each whale a name and/or number.  Information about and pictures of individual right whales can be found in the right whale catalog.  Scientists take aerial photos (from an airplane) of the whales and match them with those in the catalog.  These surveys help scientists determine how well the population is doing, which whales are reproducing, and which whales have died.

Why should the right whale win the Ugly-Beauty contest? The right whales should win the Ugly-Beauty contest, because the honor would really go to two species…the whales and whale lice.  A right whale's callosities contribute to its beauty and help another animal survive. What's the other animal?  Whale lice. Whale lice (cyamids) are white crustaceans that live inside the folds of the callosities. They feed on the whale’s dead skin.  Whale lice help scientists during photo identification by making the normally black callosity look white, so it is visible in photographs. Unfortunately, more than 3/4 of right whales have visible scars from ship strikes or entanglements with fishing gear.  Scientists can also use these “ugly marks” to help identify individual whales and track their movements and life histories.

Why are right whales special? Right whales are special because they share our coastal waters and highlight the positive and negative impacts people can have on the ocean.  Once abundant throughout their range, from their feeding grounds in northern waters off New England and Nova Scotia to their calving area in coastal waters off Georgia and Florida, the right whales were almost hunted to extinction.  The good news is they are now protected with many people working to help ensure their survival, so their numbers are slowly growing. Another thing that makes them special is that although we know their general migration pattern, it is still a mystery as to where a large number of the right whales spend the winter.

 

Do they really have 9-ft long baleen? Yep!  Instead of teeth; large, fringed plates called baleen hang down from each side of the upper jaw and may be up to 9 feet long.  When feeding, right whales swim with their gigantic mouths open and the baleen filters their food, rice sized animals, out of the water.  An adult right whale can eat several tons of food per day. While feeding like this, their baleen rubs against each other producing a “baleen rattle” sound, unique to right whales.  Scientists are discovering ways to use special underwater microphones to capture this sound, and other sounds right whales make, to reduce chances of ship strikes by warning ship captains when right whales are present in the area.

Why is a right whale cooler than a killer whale? Right whales are way cooler than killer whales.  First, right whales are much larger and robust.  A large killer whale can measure up to 32 ft. and weigh 20,000 pounds. Right whales are enormous - an adult right whale may grow up to 55 feet long; that’s longer than a school bus!  Right whales can weigh up to 140,000 pounds. Second, the head of a right whale makes up to 1/3 of their entire body length.  That’s a huge head!  Can you imagine moving around with a head that big?

 

Is it really one of the most endangered whale species?  North Atlantic right whales are classified as “Endangered” under the Endangered Species Act, and they are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.  It’s hard to say exactly how many are alive today; the best estimates are between 350 and 400.  Right whales were almost hunted to extinction back during the commercial whaling era.  Back then, they were known as the "right" whales to hunt because: 1) they were easy to hunt; 2) swim slowly; 3) they have a lot of blubber; 4) float when dead; and 5) are usually found near shore. Whaling in the USA was banned decades ago by two important U.S. laws: the Marine Mammal Protection Act (enacted in 1972) and the Endangered Species Act. Plus, they are protected internationally, too.  Unfortunately, decades after they were protected, the population is still struggling to recover and only a few hundred right whales survive.

 

How are scientists working to save them? Even though right whales are no longer hunted, humans are still responsible for today's two greatest threats to them: entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes (being hit by ships/boats).  Because right whales are a coastal species, they often share the same water with ships that are coming into East Coast ports.  They also feed in biologically rich areas, which are the site of some commercial fisheries.  Ship captains, fishermen, and scientists are working together to reduce the likelihood that these interactions harm the right whales.  NOAA has worked with the US Coast Guard to modify existing shipping lanes and to recommend routes for ships through the right whale northern feeding grounds and southern calving grounds.  NOAA Fisheries Service has also established seasonal vessel speed restrictions in certain areas, so ships slow down and can avoid harming whales.  This is similar to speed limits for cars in school zones when school opens.  Fishermen that use lobster pots now modify their fishing gear to reduce entanglements with whales.

For the first Hagfish Day we celebrated the beauty that is vaquita.  How does the right whale's situation compare to the vaquita? Like the vaquita, there are very few right whales remaining.  Humans are responsible for the main threats to both the right whale and the vaquita.  There is no easy solution for helping the vaquita or right whale species recover, but we must spread the word about their plight, the importance of conserving these amazing creatures and continue to work to protect them.  Unlike the vaquita, right whales are tracked using both sound and sight.  Scientists have compiled an extensive photo-identification catalog by taking photos from airplanes and ships in right whale feeding and calving areas.  And, we’re learning more about right whales every day by listening to them using underwater microphones.  Right whales are also a popular whale watching attraction.  However it is important to ensure the boats do not approach too close.