Endangered North Atlantic right whales are facing an increasingly bleak future as researchers report they haven’t spotted any new calves during the 2018 season.

Trained spotters report that it is the first time since 1989 that newborns haven’t been found. The whales typically live off New England and Canada, but pregnant females head south starting in November to give birth and raise their calves in warmer water. In 2018, spotters did not see any females in the south until the end of January. Only about 450 North Atlantic right whales exist, and only 100 of them are breeding females. Seventeen of the animals washed up dead in 2017, and one was found in 2018. Many were struck by ships or entangled in fishing line, including line between floating buoys and lobster traps, and long lines with a thousand dangling fishing hooks. Lines can cut through the whales’ fins, cause infections and drag them down, sapping their strength.

five newborns were spotted during calving season in 2017. The whales typically average about 17 births a year. Right whales feed on phytoplankton, which is temperature-sensitive. As water temperatures increase off New England due to global warming, the phytoplankton population is decreasing.

Source: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/02/north-atlantic-right-whales-calving-season-extinction-spd/