MAINE COALITION FOR NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES
North Atlantic right whales face possible extinction due to human activity. The future of the species relies on our willingness to adapt to save them.
Fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales remain, based on the most recent population estimate. (source)
Only 70 breeding females remain in the North Atlantic right whale population. (source)
90 whales (approximately 25% of the total population) were observed off the coast of Maine in an area that also contained fishing gear. (source)
86% of North Atlantic right whales have been entangled in fishing gear at least once, some as many as nine times. (source)
Right whale #3560 “Snow Cone” entangled with her calf in 2022. She is presumed dead after her health seriously degraded from this and a second entanglement. The calf was killed by a ship strike. Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, taken under NOAA permit 20556-01.
KNOW THE FACTS
The Coalition's mission is to provide accurate information about critically endangered right whales and support policies to save them. Maine’s lobster fishery is responsible for the most unattended vertical fishing rope off the eastern U.S. coastline — thousands of miles of it. Entanglement in this underwater maze of ropes threatens right whales and other marine life. This threat is well documented in a growing body of peer-reviewed research, scientific findings, and news sources.
Fishing gear entanglement is the biggest threat to North Atlantic right whales.
Entanglement in fishing gear is the leading cause of death and serious injury to right whales. Nearly 90 percent of right whales have been entangled at least once; some as many as nine times.
Maine lobster gear killed an endangered North Atlantic right whale.
Three-year old female right whale #5120 died in 2024 after a two-year entanglement in Maine lobster gear.
Fishermen should demand access to tools that prevent whale entanglements.
Lower breaking strength rope (a.k.a. weak rope), weak links, and on-demand fishing minimize whale entanglements. Maine has a gear lending program for fishermen to test alternative gear for compensation.
LEARN ABOUT THE ISSUES
NEWS
Explore statewide and national news, press releases, and op-eds on North Atlantic right whales, with a focus on the Gulf of Maine.
RESOURCES
Explore our compilations of peer-reviewed scientific reports, ongoing studies, science organizations, and interactive sighting maps.
ACTION
Explore ways to help advocate for sustainable fishing practices and the North Atlantic right whale’s recovery in Maine.
ABOUT THE COALITION
In 2021, our independent and volunteer group of scientists, educators, and citizens came together to address growing misinformation about critically endangered right whales in Maine. We work to inform the public about whale entanglement, highlight viable solutions to prevent entanglement, and push back against a misleading and factually incorrect narrative put forth by lobster industry lobbyists.
In 2024, a North Atlantic right whale died from an entanglement in rope from Maine lobster gear, but industry leaders and Maine’s political delegation continue to minimize the negative impacts that the fishery has on the marine environment.
Join us in advocating for solutions that will help right whales.
WHALE ENTANGLEMENT CAN BE PREVENTED.
Produced by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the video below explains how whale entanglement occurs, and how collaborative problem-solving, gear research, and testing are helping to prevent large whale entanglement.
Maine Coalition for North Atlantic Right Whales
The mission of the of the Maine Coalition for North Atlantic Right Whales is to provide accurate information about critically endangered right whales and support policies to save them.