Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: TH
Context: A recent study reveals that even minor entanglements in fishing gear can have devastating effects on female North Atlantic right whales, potentially preventing them from breeding.
- These findings highlight the urgent need for ropeless fishing gear to mitigate threats to the survival of this critically endangered species.
About Right Whales:
- Right whales are large baleen whales that belong to the genus Eubalaena, along with Southern Right Whales (Least Concern), North Atlantic Right Whales (Critically Endangered), and North Pacific Right Whales (Endangered).
- Right whales are known for swimming slowly, floating after being killed, and producing large amounts of baleen and oil.
- They have been hunted to near extinction, but hunting was banned in 1935, and the whaling industry is no longer a threat to the species.
