The North Atlantic right whale, a species long at risk, showed a slight growth in numbers in 2024, according to a recent estimate by the New England Aquarium. The latest count places the population at 384, an increase from the revised 2023 estimate of 376. The Aquarium also noted a notable decrease in entanglements and ship collisions, the primary causes of harm and fatalities for these whales, up to this point in the year.
Philip Hamilton, a senior scientist at the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life in Boston, expressed optimism about the eight-whale increase last year, especially since the population had been declining for nearly a decade. However, Hamilton cautioned that despite the positive news, the species is not yet considered fully recovered.
The North Atlantic right whale has been classified as endangered in the U.S. since 1970. Hamilton highlighted a significant shift in the whales’ habitat in the 2010s, with many moving to the Gulf of St. Lawrence in late spring, leading to a spike in mortality rates. Although the whales appear to be adapting to the new environment, Hamilton warned that sudden changes could pose risks, similar to the losses experienced in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 2017 and 2019.
In response to the high mortality rates, government regulations were put in place, including speed limits for ships and fishing closures in whale-populated areas. The Anderson Cabot Center also reported a decline in deaths and injuries in 2025 compared to the previous year, with updated figures on entanglements and vessel strikes.
Hamilton mentioned a slow increase in the reproductive pool of right whales, with 72 estimated reproductive females in 2024, up from 70 in the prior year. The year 2025 has seen 11 new births, with some unexpected sightings of mother-calf pairs off the southeastern U.S. coast. Hamilton remains hopeful for further growth in the reproductive pool, anticipating more females entering the reproductive cycle soon.