Your May 15 piece on North Atlantic right whales offered promising news about this year’s calving season (“Can a baby boom save the right whale — and Maine’s lobster industry?”). But as someone who has spent decades working to protect marine mammals, I’d caution against relying on this season’s numbers as a reason to ease up on regulations. 

The reality is: more calves means more whales at risk. Every new calf born faces the same vessel strike and fishing gear entanglement risk that killed 43 other whales since 2017. It’s wonderful that 18 of this year’s calves have made it safely to Massachusetts, but they still have to navigate the Gulf of Maine. 

The article also implies Maine lobstermen may be somewhat off the hook because only one recent entanglement was definitely traced to U.S. gear. But “unknown” rope color is not the same as innocence. The Marine Mammal Commission has noted that roughly 64% of right whale deaths, by whatever cause, are never observed. And studies have shown us that entanglement deaths are the most likely to go undetected.

The population math in the article deserves more focus: 23 births stabilizes the species, but recovery requires sustained 50-plus births per year. And we won’t get there without careful regulation.

Federal regulators will release new risk-reduction targets this November. “Flexibility” shaped by one better calving season is not the same as what science tells us whales need.

Cindy Lowry
International Marine Mammal Project, a project of Earth Island Institute
Portland