Biden-Harris Administration Announces Over $9 Million for Partnerships to Recover North Atlantic Right Whales

Today, NOAA Fisheries announced over $9 million from Inflation Reduction Act funds to support strategic partnerships aimed at improving fishing gear and population monitoring that will help the recovery of North Atlantic right whales. These partnerships include collaborations with state agencies, academic institutions, non-profit organizations, and science-based groups.

North Atlantic right whales are one of the most endangered species on the planet, and are approaching extinction. The primary threats to the species are entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes. Climate change is also impacting every aspect of their survival.

An estimated $6.9 million of this funding will support further development of on-demand (or “ropeless”) fishing gear technology by providing funds to fishing industry partners to assess and provide feedback on technologies that prevent fishing gear entanglements. NOAA Fisheries and its partners estimate that over 85% of right whales have been entangled in fishing gear at least once in their lifetime. Reducing entanglements is necessary to prevent the extinction of — and ultimately recover — the species.

Approximately $2.8 million will fund partner efforts to improve monitoring and modeling efforts. Long-term population monitoring will provide essential insights into individual health and reproduction, as well as distribution, abundance, and habitat-use patterns.

“The collective actions of NOAA Fisheries and its partners are key to conserving North Atlantic right whales and preventing their extinction,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda and the Inflation Reduction Act, this $9 million investment will help develop new technologies and strategies to support the recovery of the North Atlantic right whale population.”

The following organizations will receive funds under this announcement:

• Duke University’s Marine Geospatial Ecology Laboffsite link will receive more than $1.3 million to build a near real-time modeling system for the North Atlantic right whale, which could help predict right whale distribution along the Eastern Seaboard.