Entanglement in fishing gear is a leading cause of serious injury and death for many whale species, including humpback whales. In the Pacific, we are working with state fishery management working groups to reduce the risks of entanglements in Dungeness crab pot fisheries, including the California Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program RAMP used to detect and respond to increased entanglement risk. NOAA Fisheries Science Centers are engaged in significant efforts to improve the scientific understanding of the drivers that may be influencing the risks of entanglements for whales along the U.
West Coast. In Alaska, we have a network of trained entanglement responders around the state. When an entangled whale is reported, responders can be authorized to evaluate the entanglement and, in cases where the entanglement is life threatening to the animal and a response can be carried out safely, a team may attempt to cut the whale free from gear.
Learn more about bycatch and fisheries interactions. Collisions between whales and large vessels can injure or kill whales, damage the vessels, and injure passengers, but they often go unnoticed and unreported. The most effective way to reduce collision risk is to give whales a wide berth or avoid areas of high whale concentrations altogether.
If this is not possible, the second best option is for vessels to slow down and keep a lookout. In the Atlantic, we have taken both regulatory and non-regulatory steps to reduce the threat of vessel collisions to North Atlantic right whales.
These actions, may also reduce the threat of vessel collisions to humpback whales, which occur in the same waters. The steps include:.
Requiring vessels to slow down in specific areas during specific times Seasonal Management Areas. Learn more about vessel strikes and marine animals. We work with volunteer networks in all coastal states to respond to marine mammal strandings including all whales. When stranded animals are found dead, our scientists work to understand and investigate the cause of death. Although the cause often remains unknown, scientists can sometimes attribute strandings to disease, harmful algal blooms, vessel strikes, fishing gear entanglements, pollution exposure, and underwater noise.
Some strandings can serve as indicators of ocean health, giving insight into larger environmental issues that may also have implications for human health and welfare. There is an ongoing Humpback Whale Unusual Mortality Event , and the species has experienced unusual mortality events in the past. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act , an unusual mortality event is defined as "a stranding that is unexpected; involves a significant die-off of any marine mammal population; and demands immediate response.
Get information on active and past UMEs. Get an overview of marine mammal UMEs. Underwater noise can pose a threat to whales, interrupting their normal behavior and potentially causing temporary or permanent reductions in hearing. NOAA Fisheries is investigating all aspects of acoustic communication and hearing in marine animals, as well as the effects of sound on whale behavior and hearing. In , we issued technical guidance for assessing the effects of anthropogenic human-caused sound on marine mammal hearing.
Learn more about ocean noise. Commercial whaling severely reduced humpback whale numbers from historical levels, and the United States listed all humpback whales as endangered in NOAA Fisheries worked nationally and internationally to identify and apply protections for humpback whales.
NOAA Fisheries developed a recovery plan in to identify actions that would protect the species in important breeding and feeding areas. In addition, we have taken steps to reduce threats to the species, such as establishing regulations to:. In , we completed a global status review of humpback whales , and in , we revised the ESA listing for the humpback whale to identify 14 distinct population segments.
The Mexico population is listed as threatened. All humpback whales are protected under the MMPA and three stocks are listed as depleted i. NOAA Fisheries conducts research on the biology, behavior, and ecology of the humpback whale. The results are used to inform management decisions and enhance recovery efforts for this species.
Information from these research projects can be used to inform management actions that protect the humpback whale and reduce their human-related mortalities. The Years of the North Atlantic Humpback Project in to and the follow-up project, More North Atlantic Humpbacks, in to were international collaborations to monitor humpback whale populations, investigate human-caused deaths, and conduct various other surveys, including research on humpback songs, across many humpback habitats.
One of the humpback's most interesting behaviors is bubble-net feeding, a complex and coordinated tactic for capturing many fish at once. Other research is focused on the acoustic environment of cetaceans, including humpback whales.
Acoustics is the science of how sound is transmitted. This research involves increasing our understanding of the basic acoustic behavior of whales, dolphins, and fish; mapping the acoustic environment; and developing better methods to locate cetaceans using autonomous gliders and passive acoustic arrays.
Learn more about acoustic science. Scientists use small aircraft to spot large whales including humpbacks and record their seasonal distribution. Understanding their migration patterns helps managers establish measures to reduce vessel strikes. Determining the size of humpback whale populations helps resource managers determine the success of conservation measures and regulations. Our scientists collect population information on humpback whales from various sources and present the data in an annual stock assessment report.
Learn more about marine mammal stock assessments. Find humpback whale stock assessment reports. Our research on the population dynamics, diet and foraging behavior, distribution, and movement patterns of humpback whales provides information crucial for understanding and protecting humpback whale populations in Alaska.
Humpback whale research in Alaska. Biologists conducted survey flights of the shifting sand shoals of the Copper River Delta to search…. Level 1 First Responder training to prepare recreational and commercial boaters to report whale…. Though most humpback deaths happened in this era, Zerbini and his team searched records from before the turn of the century and found hunters killed between 20, and 40, humpbacks.
The team also included estimates of calves lost because their mothers were hunted, as well as whales killed but never brought to shore. The team also estimated a higher number of currently living whales by incorporating data from boat surveys. The last report used data from flyover counting missions, which moved so fast it was likely observers missed some whales, Zerbini says. Boats move slowly enough that even whales taking their time coming up for air get counted.
Zerbini and his colleagues ended with a peak population estimate of between about 23, and 34, whales in The team thinks the population could hit 99 percent of their historic levels by To get there, deaths by ship strikes and net entanglement cannot become more common than they already are, Zerbini says.
The research was published Wednesday in the journal Royal Society Open Science , a peer-reviewed scientific journal based in London. It was funded by the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy project, which works to create marine reserves. Humpback whales can grow to as long as 50 feet and weigh up to 30 tons.
It's believed they live to be up to 80 years old. There are 16 populations of humpbacks around the world. Four of them are considered endangered and one is threatened. The global population has been rebounding since whaling was banned in the s.
It's estimated there are currently between , and , humpbacks. Kirsten Thompson. TIME Ideas hosts the world's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture. We welcome outside contributions. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors. Related Stories. Already a print subscriber? Go here to link your subscription. Need help? Visit our Help Center. Go here to connect your wallet.
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