Right whale population rebounded in recent years, but was tested by tough 2024

The estimated population of North Atlantic right whales is gradually growing, biologists say, but this year proved deadly for some members of the endangered species.

"After about seven years of free fall,numbers declining,that [growth] isreally good news," said Philip Hamilton, a senior scientist at the New England Aquarium.

Because the population was quite small to begin with, the increaserepresents "just a few animals," Hamilton told CBC's Island Morning.

In 2020, the number of right whales hit an all-time low of 358. Last year, 372 whales were counted.

"It's tenuous. It's tentative," Hamiltonsaid. "The really good news is that it's not a free fall."

He said it's too early to tell whether the recent growth represents atrend, buthis optimism has been tempered by a "really, really bad" year for the whales in 2024.

Although more calves than usual were born this year, Hamilton said nine whale mortalities and at least 13 human-caused injuries could reverse some of the recent gains.

"It really has been a roller-coaster ride," Hamilton said.

To have 20 calves born was really exciting.To see them slowly, one after another, die... It's hard to witness. Philip Hamilton, New England Aquarium

"To have 20 calves born was really exciting.To see them slowly, one after another, die It's hard to witness."

Most of the mortality took place in the Atlantic Ocean off theUnited States, Hamilton said. Just one whale carcass was found in Canadian waters.

Despite that, he said he'd like to see stronger preventive measures such as vessel speed restrictions andmore fishing regulations on both sides of the border.

"It's not pointing fingers.I just look at the whales," he said. "In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, there are lots of protective measures, but eight whales were detected entangled there."

Federal protocols require P.E.I. fishing crewsto move their gear out of all but the shallowest waterin the event of a right whale sighting in an area.

A free Halifax-based gear-lending program called CanFish is one option P.E.I. fishers have turned to in order to switch from traditional traps to "ropeless gear" following a whale sighting.

Ropeless gear eliminates the vertical buoy line in the water column that can entangle whales, allowing harvesters to keep fishing when a closure is announced.

Hamilton considers ropeless gear to be a promising technology, but said a lot more has to fall into place before itand other interventionscan be truly effective.

"You just have to look at the whales to say, sadly, it's not enough," he said.