211 Even the name of the North Atlantic right whale serves as a reminder of their fraught history with humans. Eighteenth-century whalers considered them to be the “right” whale to hunt due to their slow swimming speeds, tendency to float when killed, and valuable oil and baleen. By the early 1900s, these intelligent and social mammals faced extinction. While whaling no longer poses a threat, vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglements continue to harm and kill critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. Only 350 animals remain, navigating a seasonal migration along the busy coastal waters from Florida to Canada. Right whales must surface to breathe and often feed near the surface, which puts them at greater risk for human-related injury. Their poor eyesight and lack of echolocation abilities add to their peril. Because the survival of the species depends on protecting each whale, marine researchers at Duke University’s Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab set out to find and predict the right whales’ movements. Researchers used GIS technology to develop a model showing where whales are likely to be; the resulting map of hot spots helps humans stay out of their way. “Our lab focuses on taking data and observations and processing them into information that is useful to decision-makers,” said Patrick Halpin, the founder and director of the Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab. Halpin and his team research marine ecology, resource management, and ocean conservation. They build technology tools and data layers that make complex marine ecosystems easier to understand. Their work supports ocean management and governance that helps safeguard marine species. Rising Mortality Rates Demand Better Awareness, Decisive Action After right whale hunting was banned in 1935, the population rebounded. North Atlantic right whale numbers reached a post-whaling peak of 483 individuals by 2010, creeping back toward the thousands of whales that once roamed the East Coast. However, a concerning behavioral shift has led to a decline. “Things started to change,” said Jason Roberts, a former software engineer turned scientific researcher at the Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab. “The right whale population leveled off. Suddenly, whales started showing up in places no one had seen them before.” Saving the North Atlantic Right Whale Marine Spatial Planning and Awareness Safeguarding Habitats and Wildlife
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