Whales are currently protected and cannot be fished directly, but the numbers of many populations are still far below the previous numbers
Current Biology According to Joshua Stewart of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “On average, the body length of whales born now is one meter shorter than those born in 1980.
extreme "Most of the species whose commercial development has a significant impact on life history have been recorded, especially fish, but as far as we know, this is the first time such an impact has been recorded in large mammals,
In this new study, researchers from NOAA, the New England Aquarium, Oregon State University, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute wanted to document the challenges faced by right whales, which can be measured by their life history characteristics (including body size) Change to show
"Based on the use of traditional aircraft in the early 21st century, we adopted new drone technology, which extended the data collection time series
Whales are an ideal research object because they have been monitored since the 1980s
"Unfortunately, entanglement in fishing gear is quite common
Data show that severe fishing gear entanglement is a source of pressure for whales to become "small"
"The smaller your body size, the lower your energy reserves, and the more difficult it may be to survive severe entanglement or continuous food shortages,
"Because the North Atlantic right whale has a very detailed data set, including age, size, entanglement history, etc.
Based on these findings, the researchers called for stronger management actions to reduce the impact of fishing gear and vessel operations
Research collaborator and New England Aquarium’s Amy Knowlton said: “The wider implementation of proven solutions within their range of activities, such as reducing the speed of boats, using tough ropes and cordless fishing gear, will prevent the species’s extinction.
In future studies, the researchers plan to explore whether the dwarf female whales have fewer offspring
Related paper information: DOI: http://dx.
DOI: http://dx.
doi.
org/10.
1016/j.
cub.
2021.
04.
067
This article is an English version of an article which is originally in the Chinese language on echemi.com and is provided for information purposes only.
This website makes no representation or warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness ownership or reliability of
the article or any translations thereof. If you have any concerns or complaints relating to the article, please send an email, providing a detailed
description of the concern or complaint, to
service@echemi.com. A staff member will contact you within 5 working days. Once verified, infringing content
will be removed immediately.
