MYRTLE BEACH, SC – A North Atlantic right whale, seriously threatened with extinction, was found dead over the weekend in the South Carolina coast, more than four months after being spotted entangled in fishing equipment.
The National Marine Fisheries Service confirmed on Sunday that the dead whale was discovered in waters about 15 miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach. It is the third recorded death of right whales since the breeding season for rare species began in November along the southern east coast.
Experts estimate that fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales survive. Pregnant females migrate each winter to the warmer coastal waters of Georgia and Florida to give birth to their young.
The whale found dead off South Carolina was an 11-year-old male who had been entangled at least since October, when he was spotted off Nantucket, Massachusetts, swimming with a fishing line stuck in his mouth and extending beyond his mouth. tail, the fishing service, said in a press release.
The same entangled whale was spotted again in mid-February off the coast of Florida, where a team of experts was sent, but was unable to release it.
Conservationists fear that North Atlantic right whales are nearing extinction, as deaths in recent years have outpaced births.
However, the 2021 birthing season proved to be the best in years. Research teams sent to search for mothers, right whales and newborn calves have so far identified 15 calves – the highest number since 2015.
The birthing season usually runs until mid-April.