The North Atlantic right whale has been in the news a lot in recent years. The name right whale came from whalers, who considered the species the “right” whale to hunt. Right whales were hunted so much that they were almost extinct by the early 1900’s. The species slowly started to rebound when protections were developed. But populations aren’t as high as they need to be to ensure a viable population.
There are 3 right whale species: the North Atlantic right whale, southern right whale and North Pacific right whale.
Several years ago, scientists and educators decided to have a Right Whale World Year to celebrate these species. They put in a lot of work, but the Year didn’t quite get off the ground.
In 2018, we were asked to chair the project with Cynde McInnis of The Whalemobile. The project coordinators thought 2020 would be a perfect year to celebrate right whales.
Soon after this request, there came a string of horrifying months. From April through November 2017, 17 North Atlantic right whales were found dead. We renamed the project the Year of the Right Whale and decided to focus mainly on North Atlantic right whales. The mission of the project is to protect the species through celebration, education and action. If more people learn about right whales, there will be more progress in protecting them in 2020.
The project has several key components. One of our most unique initiatives is our “Booth in a Box.” This is a a compact box of tools that anyone can use to set up an information table about right whales. It comes complete with instructions and talking points (available in writing or by video). So it can be used not only by scientists and educators, but any interested individual or group. We will also be providing annotated curriculum and information about initiatives that protect right whales.
We’ve been excited to share the project at two conferences this fall. The first was the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium meeting in Portland, ME. From there, we sent our Booths off to organizations in Maine, New Hampshire, Florida, Illinois and Canada. These organizations have already started setting up the Booth at their facilities and loaning it out.
Most recently, we were at the World Marine Mammal Conference in Barcelona, Spain. There, we met many other potential partners. As funding allows, we will create at least 30-40 more Booths and send them to locations across the U.S. and around the world!
Thanks to everyone who has supported this project so far!
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