![\"north](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/baby-north-atlantic-right-whale-1100x784.jpg\")
Any mother will tell you that pregnancy takes everything out of you. Now imagine being pregnant for 12 to 13 months straight!\u00a0 These marine mothers don\u2019t just carry their young for over a year \u2013 they then nurse them for another full year, pouring an astounding amount of energy into keeping their calves alive. After such an exhausting process, a female\u2019s body needs plenty of time to rebuild its strength and energy before it\u2019s ready for another pregnancy.<\/p>\n
Wounds That Don\u2019t Heal<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/right-whale-4615-entangled-1100x366.jpg\")
Entangled whale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nEntanglement in fishing gear is now the leading cause of death and injury for North Atlantic Right Whales and they\u2019re far more regular than you\u2019d think. Researchers have documented that approximately 83 per cent of all right whales have been entangled at least once in their lives. Twenty-five per cent face new entanglements each year. Even if a female survives entanglement, her body undergoes such trauma \u2013 fighting for survival while wrapped in heavy fishing gear \u2013 compromising her ability to reproduce in the future.<\/p>\n
A Changing Ocean<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/right-whale-feeding-GettyImages-1295413776-1100x734.jpg\")
Right Whale feeding \u00a9Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nClimate change isn\u2019t just altering weather patterns, it\u2019s also redrawing the ocean\u2019s food web. As ocean temperatures rise and currents shift, the prey North Atlantic Right Whales depend on are either moving to different areas of the ocean or becoming scarce. And it\u2019s not just happening to the North Atlantic Right Whale! Researchers have noted that both Humpback and Blue Whales have had to migrate much further to reach feeding grounds, leaving them with less time to feast and build up the body fat they need. For North Atlantic Right Whales, this adds yet another obstacle to the species\u2019 survival. If a female isn\u2019t in peak physical condition, how can we expect her body to support the demands of pregnancy and nursing? And without new young, how in the world will this important species bounce back from the brink of extinction?<\/p>\n
How Can You Help Whales?<\/h3>\n![\"North](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/right-whale-640x360.jpg\")
Right Whale breaching<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n- Don\u2019t<\/strong> use single use plastics. Many whales fall victim to plastics, mistaking larger pieces for prey.<\/li>\n
- Do<\/strong> report dead or injured whales. Don\u2019t know what a whale in need looks like? That\u2019s where a little training<\/a> comes in handy.<\/li>\n
- Do<\/strong> support organizations working to reduce entanglement<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- Don\u2019t<\/strong> get too close to whales. The Marine Mammal Regulations under the Fisheries Act<\/em>, directs that you should maintain a safe distance of 100 metres from most whales. Keep 200 m from Orcas off of B.C. and the Pacific Ocean. And keep 200 m from all whales, dolphins and porpoises in parts of the St. Lawrence Estuary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Approximately 370 North Atlantic Right Whales remain swimming off Canada\u2019s east coast. That\u2019s it. Since 2010, the population has been in steady decline. So too have their reproductive rates. Back…<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":5890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[636],"tags":[9181],"class_list":["post-15671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coasts-oceans","tag-right-whale"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15671"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15673,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15671\/revisions\/15673"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Entanglement in fishing gear is now the leading cause of death and injury for North Atlantic Right Whales and they\u2019re far more regular than you\u2019d think. Researchers have documented that approximately 83 per cent of all right whales have been entangled at least once in their lives. Twenty-five per cent face new entanglements each year. Even if a female survives entanglement, her body undergoes such trauma \u2013 fighting for survival while wrapped in heavy fishing gear \u2013 compromising her ability to reproduce in the future.<\/p>\n
A Changing Ocean<\/h3>\nRight Whale feeding \u00a9Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nClimate change isn\u2019t just altering weather patterns, it\u2019s also redrawing the ocean\u2019s food web. As ocean temperatures rise and currents shift, the prey North Atlantic Right Whales depend on are either moving to different areas of the ocean or becoming scarce. And it\u2019s not just happening to the North Atlantic Right Whale! Researchers have noted that both Humpback and Blue Whales have had to migrate much further to reach feeding grounds, leaving them with less time to feast and build up the body fat they need. For North Atlantic Right Whales, this adds yet another obstacle to the species\u2019 survival. If a female isn\u2019t in peak physical condition, how can we expect her body to support the demands of pregnancy and nursing? And without new young, how in the world will this important species bounce back from the brink of extinction?<\/p>\n
How Can You Help Whales?<\/h3>\nRight Whale breaching<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n- Don\u2019t<\/strong> use single use plastics. Many whales fall victim to plastics, mistaking larger pieces for prey.<\/li>\n
- Do<\/strong> report dead or injured whales. Don\u2019t know what a whale in need looks like? That\u2019s where a little training<\/a> comes in handy.<\/li>\n
- Do<\/strong> support organizations working to reduce entanglement<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- Don\u2019t<\/strong> get too close to whales. The Marine Mammal Regulations under the Fisheries Act<\/em>, directs that you should maintain a safe distance of 100 metres from most whales. Keep 200 m from Orcas off of B.C. and the Pacific Ocean. And keep 200 m from all whales, dolphins and porpoises in parts of the St. Lawrence Estuary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Approximately 370 North Atlantic Right Whales remain swimming off Canada\u2019s east coast. That\u2019s it. Since 2010, the population has been in steady decline. So too have their reproductive rates. Back…<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":5890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[636],"tags":[9181],"class_list":["post-15671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coasts-oceans","tag-right-whale"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15671"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15673,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15671\/revisions\/15673"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Climate change isn\u2019t just altering weather patterns, it\u2019s also redrawing the ocean\u2019s food web. As ocean temperatures rise and currents shift, the prey North Atlantic Right Whales depend on are either moving to different areas of the ocean or becoming scarce. And it\u2019s not just happening to the North Atlantic Right Whale! Researchers have noted that both Humpback and Blue Whales have had to migrate much further to reach feeding grounds, leaving them with less time to feast and build up the body fat they need. For North Atlantic Right Whales, this adds yet another obstacle to the species\u2019 survival. If a female isn\u2019t in peak physical condition, how can we expect her body to support the demands of pregnancy and nursing? And without new young, how in the world will this important species bounce back from the brink of extinction?<\/p>\n
How Can You Help Whales?<\/h3>\nRight Whale breaching<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n- Don\u2019t<\/strong> use single use plastics. Many whales fall victim to plastics, mistaking larger pieces for prey.<\/li>\n
- Do<\/strong> report dead or injured whales. Don\u2019t know what a whale in need looks like? That\u2019s where a little training<\/a> comes in handy.<\/li>\n
- Do<\/strong> support organizations working to reduce entanglement<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- Don\u2019t<\/strong> get too close to whales. The Marine Mammal Regulations under the Fisheries Act<\/em>, directs that you should maintain a safe distance of 100 metres from most whales. Keep 200 m from Orcas off of B.C. and the Pacific Ocean. And keep 200 m from all whales, dolphins and porpoises in parts of the St. Lawrence Estuary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Approximately 370 North Atlantic Right Whales remain swimming off Canada\u2019s east coast. That\u2019s it. Since 2010, the population has been in steady decline. So too have their reproductive rates. Back…<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":5890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[636],"tags":[9181],"class_list":["post-15671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coasts-oceans","tag-right-whale"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15671"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15673,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15671\/revisions\/15673"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- \n
- Don\u2019t<\/strong> use single use plastics. Many whales fall victim to plastics, mistaking larger pieces for prey.<\/li>\n
- Do<\/strong> report dead or injured whales. Don\u2019t know what a whale in need looks like? That\u2019s where a little training<\/a> comes in handy.<\/li>\n
- Do<\/strong> support organizations working to reduce entanglement<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- Don\u2019t<\/strong> get too close to whales. The Marine Mammal Regulations under the Fisheries Act<\/em>, directs that you should maintain a safe distance of 100 metres from most whales. Keep 200 m from Orcas off of B.C. and the Pacific Ocean. And keep 200 m from all whales, dolphins and porpoises in parts of the St. Lawrence Estuary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Approximately 370 North Atlantic Right Whales remain swimming off Canada\u2019s east coast. That\u2019s it. Since 2010, the population has been in steady decline. So too have their reproductive rates. Back…<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":5890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[636],"tags":[9181],"class_list":["post-15671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coasts-oceans","tag-right-whale"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15671"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15673,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15671\/revisions\/15673"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} - Do<\/strong> report dead or injured whales. Don\u2019t know what a whale in need looks like? That\u2019s where a little training<\/a> comes in handy.<\/li>\n