Issue 94 - March 2023

Aquarium Scientists React to Death of Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale

NOAA confirms whale died from a vessel strike as scientists draw attention to ongoing human-caused threats

Photo Banner Credit: New England Aquarium

Close-up of a southern right whale. Photo Credit: Tomas Kotouc

Scientists at the New England Aquarium are reacting to the death of a North Atlantic right whale as the critically endangered species continues to face human-caused threats.

The whale washed ashore Sunday in Virginia Beach, VA. New England Aquarium scientists identified the whale as Catalog #3343, an unnamed 20-year-old male. Following a necropsy by multiple agencies, NOAA announced the cause of death as catastrophic blunt force trauma. The injuries to the whale’s spine are consistent with a vessel strike, NOAA said, and included multiple fractures to the vertebrae that indicated he died quickly. There were no external signs of trauma.

“It has been a challenging few weeks for right whales, and for those that care about them. Four newly entangled whales have been discovered since the beginning of January and now #3343’s death. And all of the whales with families that we know well,” said Philip Hamilton, senior scientist at the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life.

This cause of death is drawing attention to the ongoing challenges facing North Atlantic right whales, a critically endangered species with fewer than 350 individuals estimated remaining in the population. The Aquarium has advocated for solutions grounded in scientific research to help this struggling species recover, including broader speed restrictions to reduce the risk of vessel strikes for right whales throughout their range. As right whales shift their habitat use as a result of climate change and availability of food resources, the animals are at greater risk throughout the East Coast of the U.S. and Canada of both vessel strikes and entanglements in fishing gear.

For more than 40 years, right whale life histories have been tracked using the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog, an extensive photo-identification database curated by scientists at the New England Aquarium. Individual whales are identified by a number and sometimes a name, with the website including details such as sex, physical markings, and last sightings. Prior to his death, scientists last saw Catalog #3343 off the coast of Georgia on December 26, 2022. Researchers had documented fishing gear entanglement injuries three times over his lifetime—including when Catalog #3343 was a calf in 2003. Sadly, his family also has a history of vessel strikes. His aunt, “Reyna” (Catalog #1909), was struck and killed by a ship in 2004 while carrying a near-term fetus. His eldest sister, “Lucky” (Catalog #2143), suffered a vessel strike as a calf and survived until the age of 14 when her first pregnancy caused her old wounds to reopen. Another sister, “Caterpillar” (Catalog #3503), also suffered a vessel strike at the age of two and managed to survive with the significant injury and is currently 18 years old. She has yet to give birth, but researchers fear a pregnancy could lead to a similar fate as Lucky.

“This whale, born to mother ‘Magic’ and father ‘Thorny,’ was just recently of age when he could potentially father calves. Sadly, he wasn’t given the opportunity to do so.” said Hamilton, who leads the team of right whale researchers at the Aquarium.

In recent weeks, right whales have been seen from their calving grounds in the southeastern United States, throughout the mid-Atlantic, and further north in Massachusetts. Earlier this week, New England Aquarium scientists flying an aerial survey spotted more than 20 right whales south of Nantucket with dozens more sighted in Cape Cod Bay since January.

The news of Catalog #3343’s death comes amid the loss of a neonate and a high number of right whale entanglements. Since December, four entangled right whales have been observed. While disentanglement teams have had some success in freeing the whales of heavy ropes and gear, the lingering injuries affect their health and chance of survival.

“I’m often asked if we are doing enough to protect right whales. While important steps have been made to protect these whales in both the U.S. and Canada, the whales themselves are showing us through these entanglements and this death that clearly more needs to be done,” Hamilton said.

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Issue 94 - March 2023

BACK ON THE BIG SCREEN! DC Environmental Film Festival

Contributed By DCEFF

DC’s Environmental Film Festival returns March 16-26 with an exciting line-up of events.

a man standing in the wild — Still from Wild Life (Directed by Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin)

The Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital (DCEFF) gears up for its much anticipated return of in-person events after a three year pause on live screenings due to the pandemic. Entering its 31st year, the festival will resume its public screenings from March 16-26 across multiple venues in D.C., including the Naval Heritage Center, Landmark E Street Cinema, the National Geographic Society, various Smithsonian Museums, Embassies and other cultural organizations. Festival-goers are already inquiring about this year’s film lineup and special events.

The Festival opens with an exciting D.C. premiere of Deep Rising (Matthieu Rytz, narrated by Executive Producer Jason Momoa), fresh from its world premiere at Sundance which tells a riveting story about a destructive secretive organization empowered to extract massive amounts of metals from the deep seafloor. Other film highlights include Oscar nominated All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen) centered around protection of the black kite bird of prey, Geographies of Solitude (Jacquelyn Mills) acknowledged by NY Times for its contemplative presentation of the rich ecosystem of Sable Island, and many other multicultural selections that feature stories from around the globe which will be screened at local embassies throughout D.C.

a group of people are standing and holding their surfboard on a beach — Still from Reclaim Your Water Natasha Smith (Directed by Faith E. Briggs)

DCEFF has long been known for its lively programming and dedicated partnerships which entertain and educate about a wide range of environmental topics. This year’s highlights include a return of The Forum, a thought-provoking talk-series that explores critical themes, issues and trends such as Storytelling During Times of War: A View from Ukraine. This particular panel will feature two guest filmmakers from Ukraine to discuss the power and importance of visual storytelling in times of crisis as well as the prospects of a “green” post-war reconstruction for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

DCEFF also introduces for the first time a live pitch contest which offers emerging BIPOC filmmakers the opportunity to win a $12,500 grant towards the production of a short or their first feature film. Finalists will have a unique opportunity to be mentored by Judith Helfand (co-founder Chicken & Egg Pictures, award-winning filmmaker).

As public interest in environmental stories continues to grow, DCEFF will continue virtual programming in a hybrid festival model to allow for enjoyment outside of the local area. Audiences who cannot attend in-person screenings can look forward to a diverse selection of themes with films that challenge environmental threats and support proactive and sustainable action.

For more information and the full-season program, visit dceff.org.

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Issue 94 - March 2023

SAWFISH NEWS: Havenworth Coastal Conservation Meet and Greet with Sawfish Experts

Contributed by Tonya Wiley, Havenworth Coastal Conservation

Caption: A smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata. Credit: Andrea Kroetz, NOAA Fisheries

During the 20th century, the population of smalltooth sawfish in the United States experienced a significant decrease in numbers and range due to overfishing, habitat loss, and limited reproduction. In response, NOAA Fisheries listed the U.S. population of smalltooth sawfish as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act on April 1, 2003.

At the time of the listing in 2003 scientists knew little about the biology, ecology, and population dynamics of smalltooth sawfish. Over the last 20 years, scientists from multiple agencies, universities, and organizations have collaborated to research the smalltooth sawfish population in the United States. We now know more about their size and age at maturity, the number of young they give birth to, the food they eat, their large- and small-scale movement patterns and habitat use, and their response to a variety of stressors. This research greatly improved our understanding of the species and helped us prioritize the actions needed to reach recovery as quickly as possible.

To celebrate the progress made over the last 20 years and to share the plight of this endangered species with the public, we invite all to a meet and greet with sawfish experts on March 31, 2023 6-8 pm at the Ivey House in Everglades City, Florida. We’ll air a short sawfish documentary created by John Anderson with Terramar Productions, answer questions about sawfish research and management, and give away some free sawfish swag.

While we have achieved a lot over the last 20 years, there is still work ahead in recovering the population of smalltooth sawfish in the United States. NOAA Fisheries has a Recovery Plan that lists actions necessary to rebuild the population and some actions specifically require help from the public, so come join us and see how you can become involved!

If you catch or see a sawfish, please share the information with scientists by visiting www.SawfishRecovery.org, calling 1-844-4SAWFISH, emailing sawfish@myfwc.com, or using the FWC Reporter App.

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Issue 94 - March 2023

SEVENSEAS Travel Magazine – March 2023 – Issue 94

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An Environmental Nightmare: Why Is Nothing Being Done to Prevent Plastic Pellet Pollution?

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SEVENSEAS Beach Cleanups

In August 2022 CleanUp, we picked up over 80 kilogram of plastic, pieces of glasses, tractor tyre, and fishing nets from the beach in Krabi, Long Beach or Pan Beach. Of course, we would not be able to do it without your support. You can make a tax-deductible donation here to keep our publications and Thailand Cleanup Project afloat.

You can either make a direct financial contribution to SEVENSEAS Media through The Ocean Foundation website or connect us with potential donors by sending an email to Giacomo Abrusci, our Editor-in-Chief.

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Since 2004, SEVENSEAS Media has fostered an informal and non-partisan platform to promote understanding of key issues and challenges while building partnerships across an increasingly diverse group of marine conservation professionals and students.

Our mission is to promote communication and build partnerships across the global marine community and to identify and address gaps in the community’s work. SEVENSEAS Media achieves this through multimedia promotion and partnerships. The community consists of a diverse and growing group of participants, including non-governmental organizations, government agencies, foundations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, fellowship programs, independent consultants, and academia/students.

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