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♪ ♪

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NARRATOR:
It's one of the
largest animals on Earth,

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able to swim 50 miles
in a single day

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and dive to depths of 600 feet.

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CHRISTY:
Oh, my goodness!

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All right, stop right here,
there's one right next to us.

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CHARLES MAYO:
He's right, right here,
under the bow.

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(Christy laughing)

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MAYO: There he is!
CHRISTY: Holy shenanigans!

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NARRATOR:
A great whale virtually free
from predators.

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And yet, in ten years,
30% of the population

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has disappeared.

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MAYO:
They're dealing with an
ecosystem that is

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very hard to figure out.

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NARRATOR:
With a life expectancy
of 70 years,

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not a single adult is known to
have died of natural causes

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in more than a decade.

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MOIRA BROWN:
Oh, yeah, it's really
got a lot of red on its tail.

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Lines in front of the blowholes,

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behind the blowholes, two more.

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NARRATOR:
Now scientists are
racing

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to try to understand these
giants

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and help them survive.

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MAYO:
We have a very limited view
on right whales.

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BROWN (on radio):
11:00, the whale did a backflip.

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MARTIN NOËL:
Oh, belly up, that whale
is having fun.

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MAYO:
I view them as a mystery.

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They're rife with questions...

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(blows out)

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...and the answers are hard-won.

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NARRATOR:
"Saving the Right Whale."

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Right now, on "NOVA."

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♪ ♪

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♪ ♪

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NARRATOR:
Every fall, pregnant North
Atlantic right whales

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leave their northern feeding
grounds

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and swim 1,300 miles south
to the warm waters

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off South Carolina, Georgia,
and Florida to give birth.

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This is the only known calving
area

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for North Atlantic right whales.

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Between December and March,

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the next generation of calves
is born.

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But from 2009 to 2018,
the number of births per year

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dropped dramatically,
from 39 to zero.

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Scientists want to know
why and what it would take

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to turn those
birth numbers around.

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Barb Zoodsma
coordinates NOAA's right whale

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recovery
program in the Southeast.

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In February 2020,
she heads out to look

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for new calves with
biologist Tom Pitchford.

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WOMAN (on radio):
Harvey, Orion mostly at the
surface

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and traveling in the northwest
direction slowly, over.

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Perfect, we're all set,
thank you very much.

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ZOODSMA:
The plane just radioed us,
and they said

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there's a Alpha Charlie
over here,

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and that's
code for an adult and calf.

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As a protection measure, we're
kind of cryptic on the radios.

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Katie, will you let me
know when you have eyes on 'em?

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KATIE JACKSON:
Will do!
Thank you.

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The right whale count of calves
born thus far in the Southeast,

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and that's all the Southeast
United States, is at ten.

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It's better
than the seven last year,

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and two years ago,
when there was zero.

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It's nowhere near enough
to get the population moving

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in a positive direction.

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Our average calving
interval was three to five years

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for a long time,
and what we've been seeing

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since 2010 is that just creep
up and up and up and up.

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And so we're into the seven-,
eight-, nine-,

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ten-year calving
interval for a lot of females.

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All right, I'm moving
in a little bit slower.

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♪ ♪

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ZOODSMA:
Look how smooth it is.

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These calves are very
weak swimmers

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when they're first born,

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and so these are real good
conditions

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for the calves to learn how
to swim.

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When they leave here, they have
hundreds of miles to swim.

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They're gonna need
a really strong bond

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to make it there together.

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NARRATOR:
The whales can't stay in these
calm, warm waters for long.

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The mothers need to eat huge
quantities of food

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in the spring and summer to
survive,

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and so by March,
the pairs head north

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to the plankton-rich waters
off New England and Canada.

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The calves will nurse
for at least ten months

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and more than double in size
before they learn to find food.

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Most calves stay with their
mothers for about 12 months

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before venturing out on their
own.

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♪ ♪

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PITCHFORD:
In Florida, we work closely

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with groups of citizen
scientists

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who are extending
the reach of our airplane

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by going to the beach

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and scanning the ocean
for right whales,

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and it can be a huge help.

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NARRATOR:
This is Lily Pinkham's first
year volunteering

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with the Marineland
Right Whale Project.

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PINKHAM:
The first thing I saw was
a spout.

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As time went on, and I started
pointing it out to everybody,

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it started putting
its flippers up, and then we saw

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that there were two spouts,

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and we were able to identify it
as a right whale

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because of the V-shaped blow.

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That was a good,
that was a big one.

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WOMAN:
But the first sighting,
that was all

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due to Lily.

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The first sighting,
that was due to our team,

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yeah, that's right.
(chuckles)

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NARRATOR:
The first calf sighted in the
2020 season was born

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to a 15-year-old
first-time mother.

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This is female 3560,

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named Snow Cone, with her baby.

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We won't be able to identify
this calf just based on

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what callosities we see now.
Uh-huh, right.

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But they darted, they darted
this calf, too, so they have,

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they have DNA which will
help identify him later.

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And look, the calf's upside
down.

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You see both
the pectoral fins.
Yes.

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WOMAN: Oh, my gosh!
(others laughing)

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NARRATOR:
As right whales mature,

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roughened patches of skin, like
callouses, form on their heads.

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This pattern is unique,
like a fingerprint,

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and helps scientists
identify and keep track

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of individual
whales over the years.

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ELLIS:
She's now been seen off Miami

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and possibly the Keys.
(others exclaiming)

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They're trying to confirm that,
so...

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WOMAN:
This year?
Yeah, right now!

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Right now.

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But generally, it's just
unusual behavior for them,

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for any of the right whales
to go south of Canaveral,

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so 3560 is going to keep us
guessing for a while.

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WOMAN:
Yeah.

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ELLIS:
And so the question is, will she
turn around and come back

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or will she go
into the Gulf of Mexico?

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WOMAN:
Right.

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NARRATOR:
Right whales have roamed
the North Atlantic

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for millions of years.

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Marine biologists
estimate that before

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commercial whaling took
off in the 16th century,

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right whales
numbered in the thousands.

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From 2012 to 2022,

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the population is estimated
to have fallen from 471

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to 336, and the
North Atlantic right whale

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is considered
critically endangered.

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Now marine scientists
and conservationists

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are tracking the whales over
their 1,300-mile

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annual migration
on a quest to understand

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what's happening to the whales
and what they need to survive.

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So apparently, there's one
right whale out here,

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maybe two,

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based on what the sightings are.

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NARRATOR:
Nick Hawkins is a wildlife
photographer

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on a mission
to document the lives

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of the North Atlantic right
whales.

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He wants to raise awareness
of the animal

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and its plight.

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(water spouting in distance)

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Hear that?
Yeah, right there.

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Yeah, that's him.

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It's got to be,
we'll get a good shot here.

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No one's around, and...
(engine revving)

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HAWKINS:
Most people don't see a
North Atlantic right whale

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for the first time as their
first whale, but I actually did.

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When I was maybe eight,

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my parents and my grandparents
brought me to an island

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in the Bay of Fundy called
Grand Manan.

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And we were surrounded by,

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like, 40 right whales,
you know, surface-active groups,

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and at the time, I was just,
like...

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NARRATOR:
Very few great whales behave
like this,

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frolicking together
at the surface in large groups.

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It's a key part of mating,

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as males vie for the attention
of usually a lone female.

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At 50 tons and 50 feet long,

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this competitive behavior
ensures

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only the healthiest whales
reproduce.

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But since the 1980s,

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the average size of a North
Atlantic right whale

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has decreased by three feet.

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HAWKINS:
The Bay of Fundy
was the feeding ground.

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Two-thirds of the population
was coming to the Bay of Fundy

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every summer and feeding.

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♪ ♪

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NARRATOR:
The Bay of Fundy
is a northeastern branch

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of the Gulf of Maine.

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In 2015,

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scientists discovered the whales
were abandoning the bay,

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and many were going about
200 miles farther north

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to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

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Marine biologists believed the
whales

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were traveling farther
north in search of food.

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No one knew whether
the whales' changing habits

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would be permanent or temporary.

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But the impact was clear.

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REPORTER:
One, then two,
then six dead whales,

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and the death
count hasn't stopped.

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REPORTER:
With only hundreds
left in existence,

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they've
suffered a terrible blow.

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REPORTER:
"Unprecedented."

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That's how scientists describe
this summer's death toll

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of 12 North Atlantic right
whales

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in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
alone.

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HAWKINS:
We have this critically
endangered

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whale species right off the
eastern seaboard

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of the United States and Canada,

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and, like,
barely anybody knows about it.

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And they're dying at
a rate that's greater than

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the entire
species' reproduction.

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NARRATOR:
In 2017, scientists documented
the deaths

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00:11:08,466 --> 00:11:10,600
of 17 North Atlantic
right whales,

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12 in Canadian waters
and five off the U.S. coast--

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nearly four percent of
the population at the time.

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The two known causes of death

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were vessel strikes and
entanglement in fishing gear.

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As the population declines,

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whale biologists are focusing on
another critical feeding ground

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where things are changing,

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trying to figure out why more
and more right whales

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are coming here each year.

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♪ ♪

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Ecologist Charles Mayo has been
studying right whales

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in Cape Cod Bay, off the coast
of Massachusetts,

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for more than 30 years.

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MAYO: He's right here,
he's right here.

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We're out of gear.

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CHRISTY:
Oh, my goodness!

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All right, stop right here,
there's one right next to us.

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MAYO:
He's right, right here,
under the bow.

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(Christy laughing)
MAYO: There he is.

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CHRISTY:
Holy shenanigans!

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♪ ♪

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00:12:22,766 --> 00:12:24,900
Whew!

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MAYO: We're seeing five here,

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and we probably have 40 or 50
to the south of us

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in little groups,

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feeding groups.

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00:12:33,633 --> 00:12:37,533
It's pretty special.

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Let me tell you something,
there's a lot of power in that.

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CHRISTY:
Pec slapping!

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That's gorgeous.

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00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:56,266
MAYO:
Look at that mouth open.

244
00:12:56,266 --> 00:13:00,400
God knows...
His mouth is wide open.

245
00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:02,433
Whoa!

246
00:13:05,700 --> 00:13:09,466
NARRATOR:
Right whales are baleen whales
that filter plankton,

247
00:13:09,466 --> 00:13:13,200
microorganisms adrift
in the ocean currents.

248
00:13:19,500 --> 00:13:22,666
Healthy adults consume over
1,000 pounds

249
00:13:22,666 --> 00:13:26,433
of plankton each day
during the spring and summer.

250
00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:38,166
This helps the females build up
a one-foot-thick blubber layer,

251
00:13:38,166 --> 00:13:41,200
giving them enough energy
to survive long migrations

252
00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:44,133
and nurse calves.

253
00:13:44,133 --> 00:13:46,366
(calling): Christy?
CHRISTY (faintly):
Yeah?

254
00:13:46,366 --> 00:13:48,966
Yeah, I think
we ought to take an in-path.

255
00:13:48,966 --> 00:13:50,600
Up a little bit.

256
00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:52,400
So we turn that...

257
00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:54,233
And that goes over.

258
00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:59,133
All right, clearing.

259
00:13:59,133 --> 00:14:01,133
One meter!

260
00:14:01,133 --> 00:14:02,833
(switch clicks, motor whirring)

261
00:14:02,833 --> 00:14:03,833
Okay, down one meter.

262
00:14:03,833 --> 00:14:08,400
♪ ♪

263
00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:09,800
(switch clicks, motor stops)

264
00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:12,333
MAYO:
We're in the path
that the animal had

265
00:14:12,333 --> 00:14:15,333
been swimming, pumping water

266
00:14:15,333 --> 00:14:18,733
from various depths,

267
00:14:18,733 --> 00:14:21,166
collecting plankton
that's coming in.

268
00:14:22,366 --> 00:14:24,633
CHRISTY:
Yep, definitely not much there.

269
00:14:24,633 --> 00:14:27,133
NARRATOR:
Today, Mayo's team is sampling
the water,

270
00:14:27,133 --> 00:14:29,900
trying to determine the quality
and quantity of plankton

271
00:14:29,900 --> 00:14:32,700
the whales are foraging
in the bay.

272
00:14:32,700 --> 00:14:37,133
MAYO:
So we're trying to look
for layers of food

273
00:14:37,133 --> 00:14:38,900
to in part explain

274
00:14:38,900 --> 00:14:41,266
why the whale
is doing what it's doing,

275
00:14:41,266 --> 00:14:43,800
which is feeding right
close to the surface.

276
00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:45,866
CHRISTY: Two meters!

277
00:14:45,866 --> 00:14:48,800
MAYO:
And at the same time,
we're collecting

278
00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:52,466
information from an electronic
gadget that is recording

279
00:14:52,466 --> 00:14:55,433
salinity, temperature,
light penetration,

280
00:14:55,433 --> 00:14:57,533
density of
chlorophyll in the water.

281
00:14:57,533 --> 00:15:01,466
♪ ♪

282
00:15:01,466 --> 00:15:04,600
We're trying to figure
out what these whales need

283
00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:08,966
out of this
really critical ecosystem.

284
00:15:08,966 --> 00:15:12,666
Early on, maybe a quarter

285
00:15:12,666 --> 00:15:14,966
of the population would come
here.

286
00:15:14,966 --> 00:15:19,366
But in the recent years,
maybe 60%,

287
00:15:19,366 --> 00:15:23,333
70% of this population in this
little tiny bay--

288
00:15:23,333 --> 00:15:26,733
it's a tiny place.

289
00:15:26,733 --> 00:15:29,233
That means
that those whales have left

290
00:15:29,233 --> 00:15:31,800
somewhere where they used to go,

291
00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:37,133
and is that because
the offshore areas are failing?

292
00:15:37,133 --> 00:15:39,333
NARRATOR:
Marine scientists
have been trying to figure out

293
00:15:39,333 --> 00:15:41,833
why the whales are changing
their habits

294
00:15:41,833 --> 00:15:44,600
and abandoning
the old feeding areas.

295
00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:50,133
♪ ♪

296
00:15:50,133 --> 00:15:52,700
The theory is
that rising water temperatures

297
00:15:52,700 --> 00:15:57,400
are shifting ocean currents
and the locations of plankton,

298
00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:00,566
forcing right whales outside
their normal range

299
00:16:00,566 --> 00:16:02,966
in search of food.

300
00:16:02,966 --> 00:16:05,700
Mayo thinks this is what could
be spurring more right whales

301
00:16:05,700 --> 00:16:07,900
to converge on Cape Cod Bay,

302
00:16:07,900 --> 00:16:10,966
one of the few remaining
plankton-rich areas

303
00:16:10,966 --> 00:16:13,400
along the Atlantic Coast.

304
00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:17,300
Over the last decade,

305
00:16:17,300 --> 00:16:19,400
as the whales have
shifted their migration routes,

306
00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:23,000
they've been
exposed to increased danger.

307
00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:24,666
BROWN:
In 2017,

308
00:16:24,666 --> 00:16:28,000
we had the worst mortality event
since we've been

309
00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:30,466
studying this species
in the last 40 years.

310
00:16:37,300 --> 00:16:41,300
NARRATOR:
In 2019, the carcass
of a female right whale

311
00:16:41,300 --> 00:16:43,766
known as Punctuation was found
floating

312
00:16:43,766 --> 00:16:45,766
in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

313
00:16:45,766 --> 00:16:50,600
Scientists think she was about
38 years old.

314
00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:52,666
Her body was towed to shore

315
00:16:52,666 --> 00:16:55,900
so scientists could try
to determine cause of death.

316
00:16:58,466 --> 00:17:01,933
HAWKINS:
It's a pretty sad sight.

317
00:17:03,066 --> 00:17:05,700
So those are
previous entanglement scars.

318
00:17:05,700 --> 00:17:07,933
Yeah.
That white there.

319
00:17:07,933 --> 00:17:11,700
Previous boat strike scar here.

320
00:17:14,233 --> 00:17:18,000
♪ ♪

321
00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:19,600
TONYA WIMMER:
This is really important work.

322
00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:23,233
Everyone knows it all too
well, I think, in Canada now.

323
00:17:23,233 --> 00:17:25,266
So she is a very, very,

324
00:17:25,266 --> 00:17:27,500
very large and exceptionally
well-known animal.

325
00:17:27,500 --> 00:17:30,733
At this point, we do not
know what killed this animal.

326
00:17:30,733 --> 00:17:32,333
That is the point
of this entire thing.

327
00:17:32,333 --> 00:17:34,033
There will be a lot
of things discussed here,

328
00:17:34,033 --> 00:17:35,466
especially with these guys.

329
00:17:35,466 --> 00:17:37,466
The information
doesn't go beyond here yet.

330
00:17:37,466 --> 00:17:38,933
It is very important
they get the full,

331
00:17:38,933 --> 00:17:40,566
complete time
to think about everything.

332
00:17:40,566 --> 00:17:43,100
WIMMER:
There's already
a lot of speculation,

333
00:17:43,100 --> 00:17:45,333
but at this point,
we don't know.

334
00:17:45,333 --> 00:17:50,800
♪ ♪

335
00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:53,500
HAWKINS:
This whale had
a significant wound on its back.

336
00:17:53,500 --> 00:17:56,800
It certainly indicates
being hit by, by a large,

337
00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:59,100
large object.

338
00:17:59,100 --> 00:18:02,100
So just will come
down to the necropsy results.

339
00:18:02,100 --> 00:18:03,766
You know,
it's like...

340
00:18:06,500 --> 00:18:08,566
HAWKINS:
I mean, this is
certainly not the way I want

341
00:18:08,566 --> 00:18:10,800
to cover right whales, but it's
part of the story, you know?

342
00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:12,266
People need to see it.

343
00:18:12,266 --> 00:18:15,666
I hope I can cover this and, and
do justice for her,

344
00:18:15,666 --> 00:18:19,200
and, and this whale, and its
life.

345
00:18:23,133 --> 00:18:27,800
♪ ♪

346
00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:29,866
Yeah.

347
00:18:29,866 --> 00:18:32,300
Aw, (bleep).

348
00:18:37,633 --> 00:18:39,300
NARRATOR:
The necropsy concluded

349
00:18:39,300 --> 00:18:41,766
Punctuation was likely killed
by a vessel strike.

350
00:18:41,766 --> 00:18:47,833
She was one of ten right whales
known to have died in 2019.

351
00:18:49,333 --> 00:18:53,033
In 2020, Canada expanded
the ten-knot speed restriction

352
00:18:53,033 --> 00:18:55,900
for ship traffic in
the Gulf of St. Lawrence

353
00:18:55,900 --> 00:18:59,900
in an effort to reduce the risk
of collisions with whales.

354
00:19:02,133 --> 00:19:07,933
♪ ♪

355
00:19:07,933 --> 00:19:11,233
Any time at the surface puts
right whales at risk

356
00:19:11,233 --> 00:19:14,466
of being hit by a vessel.

357
00:19:18,700 --> 00:19:22,166
♪ ♪

358
00:19:27,333 --> 00:19:30,500
When they get
together near the surface,

359
00:19:30,500 --> 00:19:36,300
bumping and splashing,
it's not just for mating.

360
00:19:38,033 --> 00:19:41,333
Whale biologists believe this
frolicking behavior

361
00:19:41,333 --> 00:19:43,466
may also serve an important role

362
00:19:43,466 --> 00:19:48,366
in general social bonding
and even be a form of play.

363
00:19:48,366 --> 00:19:53,066
♪ ♪

364
00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:04,100
♪ ♪

365
00:20:17,766 --> 00:20:21,166
(seagulls squawking)

366
00:20:25,333 --> 00:20:30,633
NOËL (speaking French):

367
00:20:39,733 --> 00:20:42,233
MAN (on radio):
Oh, yes! Oh, yes, oh, yes,
oh, yes.

368
00:20:45,366 --> 00:20:48,166
NOËL:
My grandfather
was a cod fisherman,

369
00:20:48,166 --> 00:20:50,633
and then they turned
out to fish snow crab.

370
00:20:50,633 --> 00:20:53,033
Then my father
was next in the line,

371
00:20:53,033 --> 00:20:56,866
and then me and my brother now
are having the family business.

372
00:20:56,866 --> 00:21:00,400
I have to say that I wish
to not see too many whales,

373
00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:02,700
because it means where I fish,

374
00:21:02,700 --> 00:21:05,033
it will surely close in, in,
no long.

375
00:21:05,033 --> 00:21:07,466
 
NARRATOR:
Based on the scarring

376
00:21:07,466 --> 00:21:09,466
scientists have photographed
on North Atlantic

377
00:21:09,466 --> 00:21:14,266
right whales, they estimate
that 87% have been entangled

378
00:21:14,266 --> 00:21:16,500
in fishing gear.

379
00:21:16,500 --> 00:21:19,100
The vertical ropes
that connect fishing nets and

380
00:21:19,100 --> 00:21:21,533
crab and lobster traps
to surface buoys

381
00:21:21,533 --> 00:21:26,300
can become wrapped around whale
fins, tails, and heads,

382
00:21:26,300 --> 00:21:31,300
and even get ensnared in baleen
when the whales are feeding.

383
00:21:33,966 --> 00:21:35,600
(motor whirring)

384
00:21:39,133 --> 00:21:42,300
NOËL:
Once you have a vertical line

385
00:21:42,300 --> 00:21:44,600
and a whale in the same area...

386
00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:46,166
(motor whirring)

387
00:21:46,166 --> 00:21:47,766
...well, there's a risk.

388
00:21:47,766 --> 00:21:51,700
♪ ♪

389
00:21:57,933 --> 00:22:00,466
NARRATOR:
In an effort to reduce
entanglements,

390
00:22:00,466 --> 00:22:03,100
in 2018, Canada started closing

391
00:22:03,100 --> 00:22:06,333
fishing areas when right whales
were spotted.

392
00:22:06,333 --> 00:22:08,866
In some U.S. waters,
including Cape Cod Bay

393
00:22:08,866 --> 00:22:11,133
and the southern calving
grounds,

394
00:22:11,133 --> 00:22:13,433
all trap fishing has been
suspended

395
00:22:13,433 --> 00:22:15,933
during the right whale
migration.

396
00:22:15,933 --> 00:22:20,500
(motor whirring)

397
00:22:22,300 --> 00:22:24,233
NOËL:
When they see a right whale,

398
00:22:24,233 --> 00:22:27,766
they are closing an area,
not only the area where

399
00:22:27,766 --> 00:22:31,200
the right whale is seen,
but a really large area.

400
00:22:32,300 --> 00:22:34,733
So in mid-May,

401
00:22:34,733 --> 00:22:37,700
maybe there was only eight
or nine whales in the gulf,

402
00:22:37,700 --> 00:22:42,100
pushing fishermen out of these
spaces where fishing was good

403
00:22:42,100 --> 00:22:44,966
to go where others fishermen
are.

404
00:22:44,966 --> 00:22:49,266
With that, it was creating a
higher density of pots

405
00:22:49,266 --> 00:22:51,566
in the same area
and lower catches,

406
00:22:51,566 --> 00:22:54,966
so it was
affecting fishermen a lot.

407
00:22:54,966 --> 00:22:58,700
NARRATOR:
In 2020, the crab and
lobster catch in Atlantic Canada

408
00:22:58,700 --> 00:23:04,300
and the U.S. was valued
at $1.6 billion.

409
00:23:04,300 --> 00:23:06,766
In many communities
along the Atlantic coast,

410
00:23:06,766 --> 00:23:09,800
crab and lobster fisheries
are the biggest employer.

411
00:23:12,333 --> 00:23:15,033
While the fishing industry is
aware of right whales,

412
00:23:15,033 --> 00:23:17,066
much of the public has never
seen one,

413
00:23:17,066 --> 00:23:20,500
and even fewer
have seen a mother with a calf.

414
00:23:21,533 --> 00:23:25,566
♪ ♪

415
00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:31,400
After surprising scientists by
heading south to Miami,

416
00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:34,400
right whale mother Snow Cone
and her calf

417
00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:36,300
were spotted in the
Gulf of Mexico,

418
00:23:36,300 --> 00:23:38,533
off the coast
of Venice, Florida.

419
00:23:38,533 --> 00:23:42,966
PITCHFORD:
We didn't hear how 3560 and calf

420
00:23:42,966 --> 00:23:45,233
got into the Gulf of Mexico.

421
00:23:45,233 --> 00:23:47,600
You know, whales follow these
depth contours,

422
00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:49,666
and you can, might imagine them
following the depth contour

423
00:23:49,666 --> 00:23:51,200
into the Florida Keys

424
00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:53,600
and eventually into the deeper
water of the Gulf of Mexico.

425
00:23:55,833 --> 00:23:59,500
NARRATOR:
Snow Cone and her calf were only
the third mom-calf pair

426
00:23:59,500 --> 00:24:03,233
known to have traveled
into the Gulf of Mexico.

427
00:24:03,233 --> 00:24:06,166
Here, boaters aren't used
to seeing right whales.

428
00:24:08,766 --> 00:24:11,133
And they likely don't know it's
illegal to approach them

429
00:24:11,133 --> 00:24:14,600
within 500 yards.

430
00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:18,966
ERIC WHITE:
I'm a charter captain here
in Venice, Florida.

431
00:24:18,966 --> 00:24:21,266
I was going to put my
bait traps out for a charter

432
00:24:21,266 --> 00:24:23,366
that I had the following day,

433
00:24:23,366 --> 00:24:25,700
and I hear, hear the guys on the
radio

434
00:24:25,700 --> 00:24:27,466
talking about a big whale.

435
00:24:27,466 --> 00:24:28,866
So we shot over there
real quick,

436
00:24:28,866 --> 00:24:31,833
and sure enough,
it was a, a whale.

437
00:24:31,833 --> 00:24:34,333
(chuckles):
Pretty big.

438
00:24:36,966 --> 00:24:38,233
Just like you see on TV.

439
00:24:38,233 --> 00:24:39,933
You know, the big...
(imitates exhalation)

440
00:24:39,933 --> 00:24:41,066
...blow of air.

441
00:24:41,066 --> 00:24:43,733
(whale exhales)

442
00:24:43,733 --> 00:24:46,166
And they came right up to me,
and checked the boat out,

443
00:24:46,166 --> 00:24:48,800
and the calf was kind
of chilling and hanging out.

444
00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:50,366
(woman laughs)

445
00:24:50,366 --> 00:24:54,433
WHITE (in video):
She's checking the boat out.

446
00:24:54,433 --> 00:24:55,966
WHITE:
As she turned broadside
to us...

447
00:24:55,966 --> 00:24:58,400
(in video):
Oh, my God!

448
00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:01,433
Bow to stern, bro,
that thing's over 40 foot!

449
00:25:01,433 --> 00:25:02,466
WHITE:
...and you could see, I mean,

450
00:25:02,466 --> 00:25:04,233
you could definitely see
the eye.

451
00:25:04,233 --> 00:25:07,033
You could see, like,
her mouth and everything.

452
00:25:08,700 --> 00:25:10,200
(exhales)

453
00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:13,700
BLAKE HALL:
Me and my son
and a friend of mine,

454
00:25:13,700 --> 00:25:18,433
we went out looking for dolphin,
or mahi-mahi and wahoo.

455
00:25:20,033 --> 00:25:22,933
 
I had heard that there
were some whales in the area,

456
00:25:22,933 --> 00:25:25,433
but the odds of running
into those two whales

457
00:25:25,433 --> 00:25:28,066
were just so slim,
I never expected that to happen.

458
00:25:28,066 --> 00:25:30,833
(laughs):
It's like winning the lottery,
you know?

459
00:25:30,833 --> 00:25:33,333
How lucky are we, guys?

460
00:25:33,333 --> 00:25:34,933
Fishing trip's so worth it.

461
00:25:34,933 --> 00:25:36,966
I don't care
if we catch anything or not.
(man laughing)

462
00:25:36,966 --> 00:25:38,666
HALL:
I've seen some

463
00:25:38,666 --> 00:25:41,833
pretty amazing things, but
that one probably tops the list.

464
00:25:41,833 --> 00:25:45,066
♪ ♪

465
00:25:45,066 --> 00:25:46,800
WHITE: A lot of guys who've been
doing this, you know,

466
00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:48,066
20, 30 years

467
00:25:48,066 --> 00:25:51,033
have never seen anything
like that in the gulf.

468
00:25:51,033 --> 00:25:55,033
HALL: Mother and her calf
in such beautiful conditions,

469
00:25:55,033 --> 00:25:59,500
and to have my son with me,
it was majestic.

470
00:25:59,500 --> 00:26:02,200
♪ ♪

471
00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:07,033
He'll never, ever forget that,
and neither will I.

472
00:26:07,033 --> 00:26:11,566
♪ ♪

473
00:26:11,566 --> 00:26:13,700
NARRATOR:
Before commercial whaling,

474
00:26:13,700 --> 00:26:15,500
when North Atlantic right whales

475
00:26:15,500 --> 00:26:18,066
likely numbered in the
thousands,

476
00:26:18,066 --> 00:26:22,200
they thrived on both
sides of the North Atlantic.

477
00:26:27,233 --> 00:26:29,833
After centuries
of whale hunting,

478
00:26:29,833 --> 00:26:33,266
the eastern Atlantic population
is thought to be extinct.

479
00:26:33,266 --> 00:26:35,866
Rare sightings
of right whale adults

480
00:26:35,866 --> 00:26:38,633
off Europe's coastline
are always traced back

481
00:26:38,633 --> 00:26:41,866
to its western population.

482
00:26:41,866 --> 00:26:44,133
But in December 2020,

483
00:26:44,133 --> 00:26:48,166
a newborn calf was seen off
the northwest coast of Africa,

484
00:26:48,166 --> 00:26:52,100
about 300 miles from
a historical calving ground.

485
00:26:52,100 --> 00:26:54,800
Is it possible that right whales
are returning

486
00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:57,800
to this birthplace
from centuries past?

487
00:26:57,800 --> 00:27:01,833
PITCHFORD:
A video emerged of it in
very clear water,

488
00:27:01,833 --> 00:27:04,133
North Atlantic right whale
in the Canary Islands,

489
00:27:04,133 --> 00:27:10,300
swimming by itself, you know,
and, and they're following it.

490
00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:18,000
Clear water, good conditions to
see these features

491
00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,300
that would tell us that it's
a very young whale.

492
00:27:20,300 --> 00:27:24,633
♪ ♪

493
00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:31,433
JACKSON:
The callosity that we could see

494
00:27:31,433 --> 00:27:33,466
and the size of the animal

495
00:27:33,466 --> 00:27:36,666
all seemed like a young animal

496
00:27:36,666 --> 00:27:41,266
in the early weeks.

497
00:27:41,266 --> 00:27:44,166
Calves are not identifiable,

498
00:27:44,166 --> 00:27:45,833
especially
when they're that young.

499
00:27:45,833 --> 00:27:48,600
Even if that calf's mother
was nearby somewhere

500
00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:51,066
and the both of them come back
over here,

501
00:27:51,066 --> 00:27:54,166
the chances of us being able to
match it are pretty slim.

502
00:27:57,100 --> 00:27:59,466
NARRATOR:
Why the mother gave birth here,

503
00:27:59,466 --> 00:28:02,966
so far from
the only current calving ground,

504
00:28:02,966 --> 00:28:05,633
remains a mystery.

505
00:28:09,333 --> 00:28:13,766
♪ ♪

506
00:28:13,766 --> 00:28:15,900
Back on the North American side
of the Atlantic,

507
00:28:15,900 --> 00:28:18,666
scientists have been trying to
figure out why right whales

508
00:28:18,666 --> 00:28:21,400
are returning here,
to the Gulf of St. Lawrence,

509
00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:23,200
each summer,

510
00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:27,200
instead of their old feeding
ground in the Bay of Fundy,

511
00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:30,066
200 miles to the south.

512
00:28:30,066 --> 00:28:32,333
The answer could be key
to understanding the impacts

513
00:28:32,333 --> 00:28:35,266
of climate change
on marine life.

514
00:28:35,266 --> 00:28:38,800
Moira Brown is
a leading right whale scientist.

515
00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:41,066
Oh, I hate it when
the whales don't get the memo.

516
00:28:44,100 --> 00:28:47,600
 
Yeah, coming up on seven.

517
00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:51,766
We've seen quite a lot of whales
on about a six-minute dive time,

518
00:28:51,766 --> 00:28:56,500
so we were optimistic this
whale would do the same, but...

519
00:28:59,166 --> 00:29:00,800
WOMAN:
Whale's up!

520
00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:01,866
Whale's up.

521
00:29:01,866 --> 00:29:03,633
BROWN:
Okay.

522
00:29:03,633 --> 00:29:06,100
WOMAN:
I shot it.

523
00:29:06,100 --> 00:29:09,633
BROWN:
Shot it!

524
00:29:09,633 --> 00:29:11,433
Keep going, keep going.

525
00:29:11,433 --> 00:29:15,100
♪ ♪

526
00:29:15,100 --> 00:29:17,133
Head's up, about to fluke.

527
00:29:19,933 --> 00:29:22,600
Fluke.

528
00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:25,500
NARRATOR:
Since 2018, Martin Noël
has accompanied the scientists

529
00:29:25,500 --> 00:29:27,733
on their research trips
in the Gulf of St. Lawrence,

530
00:29:27,733 --> 00:29:32,233
chartering his boat after the
close of the snow crab season.

531
00:29:32,233 --> 00:29:35,833
BROWN (on radio):
11:00, the whale did a backflip.
(murmuring)

532
00:29:35,833 --> 00:29:37,400
Coming out of the water
backwards.
Oh, there's a...

533
00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:39,366
Belly up.
BROWN (on radio):
You could see the flippers.

534
00:29:39,366 --> 00:29:42,100
NOËL:
Flippers-- that whale
is having fun.

535
00:29:42,100 --> 00:29:45,400
NOËL:
Doing the survey
with the scientists,

536
00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:48,133
you get to be curious
about which one it is,

537
00:29:48,133 --> 00:29:50,000
and it's interesting.

538
00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:51,866
BROWN (on radio):
Okay, we're going to stop here.

539
00:29:51,866 --> 00:29:53,966
Copy that.

540
00:29:53,966 --> 00:29:56,333
There seems to be a lot
of whales in the area here,

541
00:29:56,333 --> 00:29:59,766
but there's, it's only a third
of the population that's here,

542
00:29:59,766 --> 00:30:00,900
not all of it.

543
00:30:00,900 --> 00:30:04,100
It's, maybe,
they see 140 individuals.

544
00:30:04,100 --> 00:30:09,833
The right whale has such
a major impact on our fishery

545
00:30:09,833 --> 00:30:13,300
that I think that
there's no way other than

546
00:30:13,300 --> 00:30:17,966
learning a lot about it
to maybe help the situation.

547
00:30:17,966 --> 00:30:24,000
♪ ♪

548
00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:25,966
Crane down!

549
00:30:25,966 --> 00:30:28,200
NARRATOR:
Biological oceanographer
Kim Davies

550
00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:30,400
is the chief scientist
on this voyage.

551
00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:34,600
She studies foraging hotspots,
the plankton-rich zones

552
00:30:34,600 --> 00:30:36,933
that sustain
virtually all ocean life.

553
00:30:39,300 --> 00:30:42,000
DAVIES:
The thing about right whales
that's so strange,

554
00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:46,433
they move around a lot
in the ocean,

555
00:30:46,433 --> 00:30:51,500
and yet they seem to predictably
return to the same area

556
00:30:51,500 --> 00:30:54,100
 
every year once they have
discovered it,

557
00:30:54,100 --> 00:30:57,133
so there is some level
of predictability.

558
00:30:59,466 --> 00:31:04,033
The North Atlantic right whale
feeds on a rice-sized

559
00:31:04,033 --> 00:31:07,500
piece of fat-rich zooplankton
called a copepod.

560
00:31:07,500 --> 00:31:10,966
When we used to do these studies
in the Bay of Fundy,

561
00:31:10,966 --> 00:31:15,966
we'd be coming up
with our nets absolutely full.

562
00:31:15,966 --> 00:31:19,933
Here we're missing something.

563
00:31:19,933 --> 00:31:22,200
NARRATOR:
So far, even though the whales

564
00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:23,766
are visiting
the Gulf of St. Lawrence

565
00:31:23,766 --> 00:31:26,166
during the feeding season,
scientists have been unable

566
00:31:26,166 --> 00:31:28,766
to find the high concentrations
of copepods that the whales

567
00:31:28,766 --> 00:31:31,733
used to feed on
in the Bay of Fundy

568
00:31:31,733 --> 00:31:35,000
and the Gulf of Maine.

569
00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:36,800
DAVIES:
Here we are in an area
that's clearly

570
00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:40,633
important to them for foraging,
but we don't really have

571
00:31:40,633 --> 00:31:43,833
a very good sense yet
of what they're actually eating.

572
00:31:47,966 --> 00:31:50,466
NARRATOR:
When their favorite food source
is scarce,

573
00:31:50,466 --> 00:31:54,066
right whales have been known
to switch to a different prey

574
00:31:54,066 --> 00:31:58,133
and eat less nourishing
species of plankton to survive.

575
00:32:00,766 --> 00:32:04,566
For the first time,
Davies and her team are equipped

576
00:32:04,566 --> 00:32:07,633
with a sounding device that will
allow them to detect prey

577
00:32:07,633 --> 00:32:09,800
within three feet of
the sea floor,

578
00:32:09,800 --> 00:32:13,533
where they suspect
the right whales are feeding.

579
00:32:13,533 --> 00:32:15,700
(motor whirring)

580
00:32:15,700 --> 00:32:17,633
MAN:
Crane out.

581
00:32:17,633 --> 00:32:20,100
Crane left.

582
00:32:20,100 --> 00:32:21,733
DAVIES:
These questions are really,
really important

583
00:32:21,733 --> 00:32:23,066
to get answers to...

584
00:32:23,066 --> 00:32:24,466
MAN:
Crane down.

585
00:32:24,466 --> 00:32:26,933
DAVIES:
...because the right whales
are here.

586
00:32:26,933 --> 00:32:30,033
This area is important to them
and we want to know why.

587
00:32:30,033 --> 00:32:32,900
♪ ♪

588
00:32:32,900 --> 00:32:36,200
NARRATOR:
After sampling
several more locations,

589
00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:38,600
Davies and her team discover
that the right whale's

590
00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:42,466
preferred prey,
a species of copepod,

591
00:32:42,466 --> 00:32:44,700
is concentrated
near the sea floor.

592
00:32:44,700 --> 00:32:46,766
Whether there are
enough copepods

593
00:32:46,766 --> 00:32:50,933
in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to
sustain right whales is unknown.

594
00:32:50,933 --> 00:32:54,366
Studies of other whale species
have shown that

595
00:32:54,366 --> 00:32:57,800
healthy populations can adapt
to changing food supplies

596
00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:01,333
and increase their birthrates

597
00:33:01,333 --> 00:33:03,000
after a few low
reproductive years.

598
00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:05,333
But the right whale population
has not rebounded

599
00:33:05,333 --> 00:33:10,033
since its calf count
started to decline in 2010.

600
00:33:13,433 --> 00:33:19,500
♪ ♪

601
00:33:19,500 --> 00:33:23,500
MICHAEL MOORE:
I thought back to
animal husbandry 101,

602
00:33:23,500 --> 00:33:25,833
which, as dairy farmers
know full well,

603
00:33:25,833 --> 00:33:28,833
that if you don't feed the cow,
she's not going to get pregnant.

604
00:33:28,833 --> 00:33:32,266
 
One of the ways
that you assess the fitness

605
00:33:32,266 --> 00:33:36,166
of a cow to get pregnant
is to look at its body fat.

606
00:33:36,166 --> 00:33:39,833
NARRATOR:
Michael Moore is
a whale trauma expert

607
00:33:39,833 --> 00:33:42,766
at Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution in Massachusetts.

608
00:33:42,766 --> 00:33:45,700
His 2020 study shows that

609
00:33:45,700 --> 00:33:47,566
North Atlantic
right whale mothers

610
00:33:47,566 --> 00:33:51,766
on average weigh 21% less than
their close relative

611
00:33:51,766 --> 00:33:53,766
the southern right whale.

612
00:33:53,766 --> 00:33:57,000
MOORE:
Photogrammetry has been around
for a long time.

613
00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:59,600
The science and the physics of
it is very clearly worked out.

614
00:33:59,600 --> 00:34:03,600
A flat image,
the camera's horizontal level,

615
00:34:03,600 --> 00:34:06,500
and you have an accurate
measurement of the altitude,

616
00:34:06,500 --> 00:34:08,100
and with that, you do the math.

617
00:34:08,100 --> 00:34:09,400
(camera clicks)

618
00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:12,400
That gives you a good chance
of estimating

619
00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:15,300
the volume of the animal,
and hence its body condition.

620
00:34:15,300 --> 00:34:16,433
(camera clicks)

621
00:34:16,433 --> 00:34:18,233
If you look at them
from the side,

622
00:34:18,233 --> 00:34:20,233
you can see these dips
and hollows behind the neck,

623
00:34:20,233 --> 00:34:21,700
where they've lost that
roll of fat

624
00:34:21,700 --> 00:34:22,900
that the
southern right whales have,

625
00:34:22,900 --> 00:34:24,500
what we call the neck roll.

626
00:34:24,500 --> 00:34:28,633
You know,
I spent time working on

627
00:34:28,633 --> 00:34:31,800
southern right whales in 1997.

628
00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:33,166
They're fit, fat, and happy.

629
00:34:33,166 --> 00:34:38,200
♪ ♪

630
00:34:53,666 --> 00:34:59,100
♪ ♪

631
00:34:59,100 --> 00:35:02,900
The southern right whales
tend to be clean, unscarred,

632
00:35:02,900 --> 00:35:07,833
and just beautiful animals.

633
00:35:07,833 --> 00:35:10,100
The reason why
North Atlantic right whales

634
00:35:10,100 --> 00:35:13,166
have a body condition deficit
is twofold.

635
00:35:13,166 --> 00:35:19,000
The basis of it, for sure,
is, they need more food to eat.

636
00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:22,266
And with climate change,
there's been a wholesale change

637
00:35:22,266 --> 00:35:25,066
in the availability of the food,

638
00:35:25,066 --> 00:35:28,733
but the second side of it is the
energetic costs of entanglement.

639
00:35:28,733 --> 00:35:33,900
♪ ♪

640
00:35:33,900 --> 00:35:36,266
If the cost of moving through
the water

641
00:35:36,266 --> 00:35:39,900
has been increased by the rope
that you're dragging around,

642
00:35:39,900 --> 00:35:45,066
that's going to be
a significant problem.

643
00:35:45,066 --> 00:35:49,200
It takes, on average,
six months for a right whale

644
00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:52,900
to succumb
to chronic entanglement.

645
00:35:52,900 --> 00:35:55,000
♪ ♪

646
00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:58,900
They're alive, in pain,
for six months.

647
00:36:00,700 --> 00:36:02,566
Those guys are tough mothers.

648
00:36:02,566 --> 00:36:06,266
They really are.

649
00:36:06,266 --> 00:36:09,333
Give nature a chance
and it will come right back.

650
00:36:09,333 --> 00:36:12,300
That's what we're asking for,

651
00:36:12,300 --> 00:36:14,033
is to give the right whale
a chance

652
00:36:14,033 --> 00:36:16,066
to show what it's made of.

653
00:36:24,166 --> 00:36:27,800
NARRATOR:
Three months after Snow Cone
and her calf were seen

654
00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:29,733
by boaters in the
Gulf of Mexico,

655
00:36:29,733 --> 00:36:33,533
the calf's body was spotted

656
00:36:33,533 --> 00:36:35,966
floating off the coast
of New Jersey.

657
00:36:35,966 --> 00:36:38,733
♪ ♪

658
00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:45,400
Veterinarian Sarah Sharp
was brought in

659
00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:47,233
to determine cause of death.

660
00:36:47,233 --> 00:36:51,333
SHARP:
Unfortunately, a lot of the
necropsies I've done

661
00:36:51,333 --> 00:36:54,366
have, have been really young
animals, two years or less.

662
00:36:54,366 --> 00:36:57,633
♪ ♪

663
00:36:57,633 --> 00:37:03,500
And all of those animals
have been human-impact deaths.

664
00:37:03,500 --> 00:37:06,000
But I think,
I think that 3560's calf

665
00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:10,133
 
was the youngest
of those that I had necropsied.

666
00:37:10,133 --> 00:37:15,233
About five or six months
at that point, yeah.

667
00:37:15,233 --> 00:37:17,566
Young-- little baby.

668
00:37:17,566 --> 00:37:21,633
♪ ♪

669
00:37:21,633 --> 00:37:24,766
ELLIS:
When I read the news that
Snow Cone's calf had died,

670
00:37:24,766 --> 00:37:26,300
I mean, I actually cried.

671
00:37:26,300 --> 00:37:28,466
It was like losing a friend,
and now it's sort of hard

672
00:37:28,466 --> 00:37:30,100
to look at the video
from last year

673
00:37:30,100 --> 00:37:32,966
and the pictures of last year.

674
00:37:32,966 --> 00:37:36,466
It felt like losing a friend--
it was really, really sad.

675
00:37:36,466 --> 00:37:39,700
♪ ♪

676
00:37:39,700 --> 00:37:41,566
The whale had been hit once,

677
00:37:41,566 --> 00:37:44,133
was injured, starting to heal,

678
00:37:44,133 --> 00:37:47,233
and then the next, fatal blow
came.

679
00:37:51,200 --> 00:37:56,100
NARRATOR:
Snow Cone's calf was hit twice
over several weeks.

680
00:37:56,100 --> 00:37:59,300
The first collision
left propeller chop wounds

681
00:37:59,300 --> 00:38:01,700
from the tip of his nose
to the mid-thorax

682
00:38:01,700 --> 00:38:07,200
and a deep rudder wound
along his abdomen.

683
00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:11,300
The second vessel strike
cut across the calf's tail.

684
00:38:11,300 --> 00:38:13,733
You kind of broke my heart
a little bit.

685
00:38:13,733 --> 00:38:15,300
I didn't know that calf
passed away.

686
00:38:15,300 --> 00:38:16,566
That sucks.
(chuckles)

687
00:38:16,566 --> 00:38:18,833
I'm sorry.
(breathes deeply)

688
00:38:18,833 --> 00:38:20,200
(clears throat)

689
00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:23,133
♪ ♪

690
00:38:23,133 --> 00:38:25,333
NARRATOR:
Both Canada and the U.S.

691
00:38:25,333 --> 00:38:27,933
have a ten-knot seasonal
speed restriction

692
00:38:27,933 --> 00:38:30,933
in some right whale habitats.

693
00:38:30,933 --> 00:38:34,433
But as of 2022, in some areas,
compliance is voluntary,

694
00:38:34,433 --> 00:38:37,866
and does not apply
to vessels under 65 feet.

695
00:38:37,866 --> 00:38:41,066
Nine months after the calf died,

696
00:38:41,066 --> 00:38:42,333
rescuers in Cape Cod Bay

697
00:38:42,333 --> 00:38:44,800
responded to a call
about Snow Cone.

698
00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:49,066
Maria Harvey
is an entanglement responder

699
00:38:49,066 --> 00:38:50,500
with the Center
for Coastal Studies

700
00:38:50,500 --> 00:38:52,466
in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

701
00:38:52,466 --> 00:38:54,666
Going in, what we knew was,

702
00:38:54,666 --> 00:38:57,666
there was rope coming out
of the mouth,

703
00:38:57,666 --> 00:38:59,600
two trailing lines,

704
00:38:59,600 --> 00:39:02,566
with a possible twist.

705
00:39:02,566 --> 00:39:05,266
NARRATOR:
Entanglements that involve
a whale's mouth

706
00:39:05,266 --> 00:39:07,366
can interfere with feeding.

707
00:39:07,366 --> 00:39:09,700
If the rope becomes
wrapped around a fin or tail,

708
00:39:09,700 --> 00:39:11,766
it will tighten over time.

709
00:39:11,766 --> 00:39:14,300
SCOTT LANDRY:
A whale is essentially moving
24 hours a day,

710
00:39:14,300 --> 00:39:15,833
seven days a week.

711
00:39:15,833 --> 00:39:18,366
And so over time, that rope

712
00:39:18,366 --> 00:39:20,233
can saw, certainly, through
skin,

713
00:39:20,233 --> 00:39:23,366
through blubber, through muscle,
and even into bone.

714
00:39:23,366 --> 00:39:25,466
 
NARRATOR:
Scott Landry leads

715
00:39:25,466 --> 00:39:27,566
the center's
entanglement response,

716
00:39:27,566 --> 00:39:29,933
part of a network of seven teams

717
00:39:29,933 --> 00:39:32,233
situated between Florida
and New Brunswick

718
00:39:32,233 --> 00:39:34,266
that record about
36 entanglements

719
00:39:34,266 --> 00:39:36,700
in the North Atlantic each year.

720
00:39:36,700 --> 00:39:38,733
LANDRY:
Essentially,
what I was trying to do

721
00:39:38,733 --> 00:39:40,700
was making sure
that we weren't running over

722
00:39:40,700 --> 00:39:43,933
any of her entangling lines,
but also keeping

723
00:39:43,933 --> 00:39:47,433
the people on the bow
as close to her as possible

724
00:39:47,433 --> 00:39:49,300
so that they could throw
the grappling hook

725
00:39:49,300 --> 00:39:51,700
into her entanglement.

726
00:39:53,233 --> 00:39:54,833
LANDRY:
Good!

727
00:39:54,833 --> 00:39:56,266
HARVEY:
Oftentimes, we will add
flotation

728
00:39:56,266 --> 00:39:57,566
to keep them at the surface.

729
00:39:57,566 --> 00:40:00,766
LANDRY:
Put it there!

730
00:40:00,766 --> 00:40:03,200
HARVEY:
And that's called kegging,

731
00:40:03,200 --> 00:40:06,433
the exact same things
that the whalers used to do.

732
00:40:06,433 --> 00:40:09,266
LANDRY:
Now, once that buoy was

733
00:40:09,266 --> 00:40:13,766
affixed to her entanglement,
her behavior changed entirely.

734
00:40:13,766 --> 00:40:16,100
HARVEY:
Unfortunately,
when an animal is entangled,

735
00:40:16,100 --> 00:40:18,566
they will try
and bolt away from you.

736
00:40:18,566 --> 00:40:21,400
It could just go in
any direction.

737
00:40:21,400 --> 00:40:24,333
Totally erratic.

738
00:40:24,333 --> 00:40:27,733
BOB LYNCH:
It's pretty rough what we do.

739
00:40:27,733 --> 00:40:29,466
They're just out in
the wild living their lives,

740
00:40:29,466 --> 00:40:31,500
and then we're harassing them
the best we can

741
00:40:31,500 --> 00:40:34,933
to sort of improve and give them
a better chance of life.

742
00:40:34,933 --> 00:40:36,733
 
LANDRY:
I see it!

743
00:40:36,733 --> 00:40:40,666
NARRATOR:
From 2017 to 2022,
scientists have documented

744
00:40:40,666 --> 00:40:43,266
34 North Atlantic
right whale deaths

745
00:40:43,266 --> 00:40:45,666
and 20 injuries expected
to cause death

746
00:40:45,666 --> 00:40:50,166
between Florida
and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

747
00:40:50,166 --> 00:40:52,100
Among the cases
where the cause was known,

748
00:40:52,100 --> 00:40:54,666
13 of the deaths
or serious injuries

749
00:40:54,666 --> 00:40:59,400
resulted from vessel strikes
and 27 from entanglement.

750
00:41:01,233 --> 00:41:04,300
The real culprit in this
is rope.

751
00:41:04,300 --> 00:41:05,866
It is not
a particular target species.

752
00:41:05,866 --> 00:41:07,433
It's not a country.

753
00:41:07,433 --> 00:41:10,900
It is rope in the places where
these animals have to live.

754
00:41:10,900 --> 00:41:14,833
At this point,
it makes it very difficult

755
00:41:14,833 --> 00:41:17,400
for a right whale,
or almost any whale,

756
00:41:17,400 --> 00:41:18,833
to move through
their environments

757
00:41:18,833 --> 00:41:20,333
without becoming entangled.

758
00:41:20,333 --> 00:41:22,166
LANDRY:
Snout!

759
00:41:22,166 --> 00:41:28,466
♪ ♪

760
00:41:28,466 --> 00:41:31,500
LANDRY:
And any measure that would
reduce the amount of rope

761
00:41:31,500 --> 00:41:34,533
would benefit whales.

762
00:41:34,533 --> 00:41:37,500
I'm talking about reducing rope,
not reducing fishing.

763
00:41:37,500 --> 00:41:39,966
LANDRY:
I cut it, I cut it,
I cut it!

764
00:41:39,966 --> 00:41:42,433
LYNCH:
Our goal was just to
cut the rope sort of shorter,

765
00:41:42,433 --> 00:41:45,233
and sort of see if she can
then shed it on her own.

766
00:41:45,233 --> 00:41:47,300
What I'm hoping to see
the next time someone sees her

767
00:41:47,300 --> 00:41:49,066
is that there's no rope left
at all.

768
00:41:49,066 --> 00:41:51,666
♪ ♪

769
00:41:51,666 --> 00:41:55,200
NARRATOR:
Rescuers removed more than
100 feet of trailing line

770
00:41:55,200 --> 00:41:57,633
from Snow Cone.

771
00:41:57,633 --> 00:42:02,433
In the Gulf of St. Lawrence,
biologists are witnessing

772
00:42:02,433 --> 00:42:06,633
for the first time a right whale
that has just become entangled.

773
00:42:32,633 --> 00:42:34,866
Only four hours earlier,
they photographed

774
00:42:34,866 --> 00:42:39,000
this five-year-old male
gear-free.

775
00:42:39,000 --> 00:42:44,033
♪ ♪

776
00:43:02,300 --> 00:43:04,400
Senior scientist Moira Brown
is a member

777
00:43:04,400 --> 00:43:07,300
of New Brunswick's
Campobello Whale Rescue Team.

778
00:43:09,266 --> 00:43:11,933
BROWN:
Oh, yeah, it's really got
a lot of red on its tail.

779
00:43:11,933 --> 00:43:15,366
Looks sore.

780
00:43:15,366 --> 00:43:20,366
So I see lines in front of
the blowholes,

781
00:43:20,366 --> 00:43:22,066
behind the blowholes, two more.

782
00:43:23,866 --> 00:43:30,266
There is trailing line with
a dirty white buoy.

783
00:43:34,466 --> 00:43:36,833
So this whale is
thrashing too much

784
00:43:36,833 --> 00:43:40,100
and too unsettled to put anybody
in a small boat near this whale.

785
00:43:40,100 --> 00:43:43,533
So that's off the plate.

786
00:43:43,533 --> 00:43:47,166
What I'm thinking is,
is a telemetry buoy,

787
00:43:47,166 --> 00:43:49,400
the green buoy that we attach.

788
00:43:49,400 --> 00:43:53,900
We'll get Guy to grapple,
and we'll get some of the other

789
00:43:53,900 --> 00:43:57,000
trained people
to belay the line.

790
00:43:57,000 --> 00:43:58,700
I know Kelsey and I are trained.

791
00:43:58,700 --> 00:44:01,200
Okay, let's have Gina
get the drone up

792
00:44:01,200 --> 00:44:04,033
so that we can look at it
from here.

793
00:44:04,033 --> 00:44:07,433
NOËL (on radio):
Yeah, that's a good idea,
I think, copy.

794
00:44:13,466 --> 00:44:15,166
BROWN (loudly): Ready to launch?
GINA: Ready!

795
00:44:15,166 --> 00:44:17,300
BROWN:
Launching!

796
00:44:22,366 --> 00:44:26,266
♪ ♪

797
00:44:30,266 --> 00:44:33,800
(whale groans)

798
00:44:33,800 --> 00:44:38,566
♪ ♪

799
00:44:38,566 --> 00:44:39,600
Okay, there you go.

800
00:44:39,600 --> 00:44:41,666
So is there anything...

801
00:44:41,666 --> 00:44:44,766
Doesn't look like
there's anything behind that.

802
00:44:44,766 --> 00:44:48,766
We can't really see
the trailing line.

803
00:44:48,766 --> 00:44:50,600
It looks like there's two lines

804
00:44:50,600 --> 00:44:52,433
coming out of the
right-hand side of the mouth.

805
00:44:52,433 --> 00:44:54,033
One's going over
the right-hand side of the tail.

806
00:44:54,033 --> 00:44:57,866
One's going over the left-hand
side of the tail.

807
00:44:57,866 --> 00:45:01,166
So it's like she has it
through her mouth

808
00:45:01,166 --> 00:45:04,066
and all coming out
the right-hand side.

809
00:45:04,066 --> 00:45:09,100
♪ ♪

810
00:45:12,133 --> 00:45:15,600
I'm trying to figure
if there's a bitter end here.

811
00:45:18,766 --> 00:45:25,466
♪ ♪

812
00:45:25,466 --> 00:45:30,400
(whale groans)

813
00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:32,200
Trailing line.

814
00:45:32,200 --> 00:45:33,433
Okay, (inaudible), we've got
the trailing line.

815
00:45:33,433 --> 00:45:34,533
Okay, that's good.
See it there.

816
00:45:34,533 --> 00:45:35,533
That's what we want.
See, it's going...

817
00:45:35,533 --> 00:45:36,533
I see it.

818
00:45:36,533 --> 00:45:38,966
♪ ♪

819
00:45:38,966 --> 00:45:43,466
BROWN:
Gina got a really good visual
on the trailing line.

820
00:45:43,466 --> 00:45:45,666
It looks like it's coming out
of the right fluke blade,

821
00:45:45,666 --> 00:45:48,666
out from underneath
the right fluke blade at times,

822
00:45:48,666 --> 00:45:51,133
but it looks like it's staying
pretty close to the surface,

823
00:45:51,133 --> 00:45:53,866
so it does mean
that we should have an option.

824
00:45:53,866 --> 00:45:55,733
I kind of would just...

825
00:45:55,733 --> 00:45:59,533
I mean, it's tough to watch,
but I kind of just want to

826
00:45:59,533 --> 00:46:03,966
give it a little time to
tire itself out and settle.

827
00:46:06,266 --> 00:46:09,300
(whale groans)

828
00:46:09,300 --> 00:46:12,833
I have never,
in all of my years of seeing

829
00:46:12,833 --> 00:46:14,200
entangled right whales,

830
00:46:14,200 --> 00:46:20,033
I have never seen an animal
react so violently.

831
00:46:26,433 --> 00:46:29,200
♪ ♪

832
00:46:29,200 --> 00:46:32,333
NOËL:
When they find a whale
entangled in the gear,

833
00:46:32,333 --> 00:46:35,066
and it's in the gulf,
and it's in the snow crab gear,

834
00:46:35,066 --> 00:46:38,666
they say, "Well, it's,
it's the snow crab's fault,"

835
00:46:38,666 --> 00:46:42,133
 
and it's hard to say it's not
when you see a buoy

836
00:46:42,133 --> 00:46:44,666
that comes from a crab pot.

837
00:46:44,666 --> 00:46:46,966
NARRATOR:
In an effort to make
crab and lobster fishing

838
00:46:46,966 --> 00:46:49,566
safer for whales,
engineers have been working on

839
00:46:49,566 --> 00:46:51,900
new technology
designed to dramatically reduce

840
00:46:51,900 --> 00:46:56,933
the amount of rope required
to fish with traps.

841
00:46:56,933 --> 00:46:59,300
Martin Noël is part of
a group of fishers

842
00:46:59,300 --> 00:47:00,966
testing new technology

843
00:47:00,966 --> 00:47:02,466
which operates without
a vertical line

844
00:47:02,466 --> 00:47:04,033
in the water column.

845
00:47:04,033 --> 00:47:08,633
Instead, the system is designed
to keep the trap's buoy and line

846
00:47:08,633 --> 00:47:10,400
submerged on the sea floor,

847
00:47:10,400 --> 00:47:13,266
attached to a long line of traps
known as a trawl,

848
00:47:13,266 --> 00:47:18,000
until fishers are ready
to haul their catch.

849
00:47:18,000 --> 00:47:20,800
NOËL:
Two things we want to try here:

850
00:47:20,800 --> 00:47:24,066
is the pop-up system working
and can we fish with trawls?

851
00:47:26,400 --> 00:47:30,666
NARRATOR:
An acoustic signal sent from
the boat through the water

852
00:47:30,666 --> 00:47:34,866
triggers the buoy's release and
floats the rope to the surface.

853
00:47:34,866 --> 00:47:39,700
I can now press recover,

854
00:47:39,700 --> 00:47:44,166
and it's going to send a signal,
a command, to recover.

855
00:47:44,166 --> 00:47:47,333
When you release that,
it pops up.

856
00:47:47,333 --> 00:47:49,533
The buoy pops up.

857
00:47:49,533 --> 00:47:51,066
♪ ♪

858
00:47:51,066 --> 00:47:53,000
Show us the buoy.

859
00:47:53,000 --> 00:47:55,933
MAN (in French):

860
00:47:55,933 --> 00:47:59,400
NOËL (in French, on speaker):

861
00:47:59,400 --> 00:48:01,866
(crew speaking French)

862
00:48:01,866 --> 00:48:05,033
NOËL (on speaker):

863
00:48:05,033 --> 00:48:08,733
♪ ♪

864
00:48:08,733 --> 00:48:10,466
NOËL (on speaker):

865
00:48:10,466 --> 00:48:12,266
 
Ouais.
(Noël repeats)

866
00:48:12,266 --> 00:48:16,533
NOËL:

867
00:48:16,533 --> 00:48:18,466
♪ ♪

868
00:48:20,933 --> 00:48:23,200
NOËL:
When you release that,
it pops up,

869
00:48:23,200 --> 00:48:24,766
the buoy pops up.

870
00:48:24,766 --> 00:48:26,400
(crew speaking French)

871
00:48:26,400 --> 00:48:27,800
Okay.

872
00:48:27,800 --> 00:48:32,466
NOËL:
And on that lobster cage,
attached,

873
00:48:32,466 --> 00:48:34,566
you got ten pots,
one after the other.

874
00:48:34,566 --> 00:48:36,266
It's very different because

875
00:48:36,266 --> 00:48:40,966
once you catch the first buoy,
you cannot stop.

876
00:48:40,966 --> 00:48:42,100
You're attached to the bottom.

877
00:48:42,100 --> 00:48:44,233
You got to be really careful.

878
00:48:50,866 --> 00:48:58,133
♪ ♪

879
00:48:58,133 --> 00:49:00,200
It's positive, because at first,

880
00:49:00,200 --> 00:49:02,633
when we heard about those
pop-up buoys,

881
00:49:02,633 --> 00:49:04,333
we said, "Hey, impossible."

882
00:49:04,333 --> 00:49:06,733
You know, "Push a button,
and a few seconds after,

883
00:49:06,733 --> 00:49:08,966
you see a buoy-- it can't work."

884
00:49:08,966 --> 00:49:14,166
But now, we say,
"Hey, well, it exists."

885
00:49:14,166 --> 00:49:17,833
The next step is for us to see
if we can work safely

886
00:49:17,833 --> 00:49:21,133
and efficiently
with those mechanism.

887
00:49:21,133 --> 00:49:23,600
♪ ♪

888
00:49:26,333 --> 00:49:30,433
NARRATOR:
As of 2022, more than 60
lobster and crab boats

889
00:49:30,433 --> 00:49:33,033
fished with pop-up gear
in Canada and the U.S.,

890
00:49:33,033 --> 00:49:38,033
and dozens more are awaiting
approval for use in 2023.

891
00:49:38,033 --> 00:49:42,600
As the U.S. and Canada move
toward stricter regulations--

892
00:49:42,600 --> 00:49:47,533
closing fishing zones,
mandating the use of ropes

893
00:49:47,533 --> 00:49:49,700
that break away more easily,

894
00:49:49,700 --> 00:49:52,800
and possibly expensive
pop-up systems--

895
00:49:52,800 --> 00:49:55,100
fishers see
increasing challenges

896
00:49:55,100 --> 00:49:59,933
to their livelihoods,
practically and economically.

897
00:50:01,966 --> 00:50:08,600
In late 2021, Snow Cone
was spotted with a second calf.

898
00:50:08,600 --> 00:50:11,400
She is the first known
right whale to give birth

899
00:50:11,400 --> 00:50:14,333
while entangled.

900
00:50:14,333 --> 00:50:15,366
Seven months later,

901
00:50:15,366 --> 00:50:18,433
she was sighted,
still entangled,

902
00:50:18,433 --> 00:50:20,533
but without her calf.

903
00:50:20,533 --> 00:50:21,966
Several weeks after that,

904
00:50:21,966 --> 00:50:28,500
she was seen with a new
entanglement and in poor health.

905
00:50:28,500 --> 00:50:35,766
♪ ♪

906
00:50:35,766 --> 00:50:37,400
(camera clicks)
Oh, there they are.

907
00:50:37,400 --> 00:50:39,866
(man speaking
indistinctly)
Just for a sec.

908
00:50:39,866 --> 00:50:44,533
NARRATOR:
15 calves were born in
the 2022 season.

909
00:50:44,533 --> 00:50:47,500
Scientists calculate that for
right whales to recover,

910
00:50:47,500 --> 00:50:49,866
about 30 calves need to be born
each year,

911
00:50:49,866 --> 00:50:53,533
and injuries and deaths
must be dramatically reduced.

912
00:50:53,533 --> 00:50:56,300
MAYO:
I view them as a mystery.

913
00:50:56,300 --> 00:50:58,466
They're rife with questions,

914
00:50:58,466 --> 00:51:00,933
and the answers are hard-won.

915
00:51:00,933 --> 00:51:05,200
 
NARRATOR:
A year after he was spotted
entangled,

916
00:51:05,200 --> 00:51:10,266
five-year-old male 4615
has not been seen again.

917
00:51:10,266 --> 00:51:14,200
Five, four, three,
two, one.

918
00:51:17,833 --> 00:51:24,600
♪ ♪

919
00:51:24,600 --> 00:51:26,766
HAWKINS:
If these animals are present

920
00:51:26,766 --> 00:51:30,333
in our lives through media,
through storytelling,

921
00:51:30,333 --> 00:51:32,100
when we talk about
regulation changes,

922
00:51:32,100 --> 00:51:34,733
when we talk about changes
in fisheries, in shipping...

923
00:51:34,733 --> 00:51:36,233
 
(straining):
Un, deux, trois.

924
00:51:36,233 --> 00:51:37,966
HAWKINS:
...those changes are going to be
more acceptable

925
00:51:37,966 --> 00:51:40,033
to a knowledgeable public,

926
00:51:40,033 --> 00:51:41,600
to a knowledgeable
industry sector.

927
00:51:41,600 --> 00:51:45,000
ZOODSMA: When I first got in
this, I thought...

928
00:51:45,000 --> 00:51:47,000
(slaps):
"I'm going, I'm going to have,

929
00:51:47,000 --> 00:51:49,500
I'm going to be part of all of
the answers," you know?

930
00:51:49,500 --> 00:51:51,633
"And, and I'm going to
work with government agencies,

931
00:51:51,633 --> 00:51:53,100
 
and we're going to
get this done."

932
00:51:53,100 --> 00:51:56,866
And I guess I'm a slow learner,
but after 30 years,

933
00:51:56,866 --> 00:51:59,933
it's dawned on me that

934
00:51:59,933 --> 00:52:02,800
governments can't do this
on their own.

935
00:52:02,800 --> 00:52:06,133
It's going to take everybody.

936
00:52:06,133 --> 00:52:08,700
♪ ♪

937
00:52:31,966 --> 00:52:39,500
♪ ♪

938
00:52:43,333 --> 00:52:50,866
♪ ♪

939
00:52:52,500 --> 00:53:00,100
♪ ♪

940
00:53:01,733 --> 00:53:09,266
♪ ♪

941
00:53:15,000 --> 00:53:22,166
♪ ♪