"The number of North Atlantic right whales ticked up in 2024, according to researchers’ latest estimate of this critically endangered species.
Scientists, while cautiously optimistic, said threats including entanglement in fishing gear, climate change and low birth rates still loom over efforts to save the animals from extinction.
The numbers, released Tuesday, estimated there were 384 right whales in 2024, up from 376 the previous year. Researchers from the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration worked together on the annual update.
The small increase follows a four-year trend of slow growth for right whales. But Heather Pettis, a senior scientist at the New England Aquarium who contributed to the data, said the population remains vulnerable."
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