WHALE AND DOLPHIN CONSERVATION (WDC)

Results: 1. The implementation of seasonal speed restrictions for vessels over 20m (65ft) in length when travelling through right whale habitats. The success of this effort was the culmination of more than five years of work, including mining scientific data, multiple trips to Washington DC to meet with NOAA staff, a year-long public campaign, the development of multiple partnerships to garner support, and the submission of a formal petition requesting the rule be in place permanently. This regulation has reduced the number of right whale fatalities from a large vessel strike by 90%. 2. A rule to reduce the profile of groundline and the number of vertical (buoy) lines in commercial fisheries to reduce the threat of entanglement. These efforts were only possible through collaborating stakeholder processes, including WDC’s federal appointment to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team. 3. An over 500% expansion of federally designated right whale critical habitat, now encompassing nearly 40,000 square miles of US waters. Beginning with a joint petition in 2009, WDC and its partners worked for five years and four months until NOAA formally increased designated critical habitat for endangered North Atlantic right whales. 4. The publication of “Vessel collision injuries on live humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, in the southern Gulf of Maine” in the peer-reviewed science journal Marine Mammal Science in March of 2018. This is the first ever analysis of vessel strikes on this humpback population. This study used data collected by WDC’s interns, and determined that more than one in 10 humpback whales in the southern Gulf of Maine have been struck by small vessels. As a testament to the significance of our work, Marine Mammal Science notified us this month that our research article was one of their most downloaded papers this past year. These data have also been a central point of discussion at the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary’s small boater working group, of which we are an appointed participant.

Target demographics: As the North American office of the leading international charity dedicated to the conservation and protection of whales and dolphins - we connect with individuals on regional, national and international level.

Direct beneficiaries per year: Boaters all over the US learn more about operating power and sail boats safely in areas known to be frequented by whales; by submitting 76 sets of expert comments to Federal and State Agencies, the majority of which included data supporting our requests to prevent actions which would otherwise negatively impact whales and dolphins.

Geographic areas served: the global environment

Programs: Founded in 1985, Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) is a global organization which has led the charge on protections for whales and dolphins in all our world’s oceans. Since 2005, the North American office of WDC has operated as an IRS recognized 501c3 non profit and is a Platinum rated charity on Guidestar. We are guided by a simple principle – whales play a critical role in the health of our marine and global ecosystems. The most important components of our work are informing and advising key stakeholders through data-supported comments on the best actions that will offer optimal protection for all whales. We are working to prevent the first modern-day extinctions of whales in U.S. waters. In the past 46 years, the United States has gone from creating landmark marine mammal conservation legislation to the looming extinctions of two of its most iconic whale species. Both North Atlantic right whales and Southern Resident orca populations are declining, and at serious risk of functional extinction within 25 years unless protections are increased. The threats to these whales are human caused, and therefore preventable. Tragically, between 2017-18, 4% of the entire population of North Atlantic right whales died, primarily as the result of human causes. In recent years, right whales have shifted their habitats, likely due to changing ocean temperatures, which affect copepods, the preferred prey for right whales. Along with a number of other cold water species, these tiny zooplankton have been shifting further north as the waters warm in the Gulf of Maine. The US must maintain existing right whale protections, and discuss additional protections to account for this northern shift. At the time of this writing, Southern Resident orcas are down to just 75 members. They depend on healthy and abundant wild stocks of Chinook salmon – the largest and fattiest of all the different kinds of salmon. As Chinook numbers decrease, Southern Resident mortality rates increase, and starving orcas are less able to cope with the stress brought on by the other top threats to their survival, toxins and vessel effects. To bring the orcas back from the edge of extinction, we need to recover their food. WDC and our partners focus on efforts to restore salmon in the Northwest and rebuild a healthy ecosystem for the long-term survival of both species. Unfortunately, humpback whales along the US east coast have also suffered a significant loss, with at least 76 individuals dying since January of 2016. Sadly, a third species, minke whales, have also suffered a similar fate with the loss of at least 29 individuals along the US east coast since January of 2017. These deaths have led the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to declare an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) for all three species. This is unprecedented, as it is the first time there have been three active UMEs for large whales along the US East Coast at the same time. So far, vessel strikes and entanglements in fishing gear are identified as the primary causes of death, emphasizing the need for increased boater education related to large marine wildlife.