NOAA
Animal lovers are mourning the loss of a whale calf from a critically endangered species.
On Monday,NOAA Fisheries confirmedthe death of a youngNorth Atlantic right whale. According to the agency, NOAA Fisheries was notified of the whale calf’s death the day before.
NOAA Fisheries, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission worked together to identify the dead whale, who was found stranded on the Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia.
“We identified the whale as the injured 2024 calf of right whale #1612 ‘Juno,'” NOAA Fisheries shared on its website.
NOAA Fisheries did not confirm if the vessel strike injuries resulted in the young animal’s death but did state the calf’s “unique injuries and markings” helped the agency identify the marine mammal.
“Due to the state of the carcass, we will use genetic testing to determine the sex. We will continue to work with our partners to perform a necropsy and evaluate the vessel strike wounds,” NOAA Fisheries shared on its website.
A stock photo of a North Atlantic right whale.Getty
Getty
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In 2017, NOAA declared an “Unusual Mortality Event (UME)” for North Atlantic right whales after noticing increased mortalities among the species. The agency listed entanglements and vessel strikes as the suspected causes for the increase in North Atlantic right whale deaths.
Thirty-nine North Atlantic right whales, including the calf, confirmed dead Monday, have died in connection to the Unusual Mortality Event since NOAA started documenting the issue in 2017.
source: people.com
