U.S. launches investigation into spate of North Atlantic right whale deaths
PORTLAND, Maine — Fearing an existential threat to one of the largest mammals in the sea, the United States government has launched an investigation into a string of deaths of endangered North Atlantic right whales.
At least 13 of the whales have been found dead this year off Atlantic Canada and New England, an unprecedented number experts say threatens the survival of the species.
“The North Atlantic right whale is one of the most critically endangered populations of large whales in the world,” David Gouveia with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries branch said Friday.
“The population numbers are very low and recovery is very slow. It’s a significant die off.”