PORTLAND, Maine — A panel discussion on the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale was livened up with art. Held at Tandem Coffee and Bakery in Portland, The Right Whale Road Show featured local artwork as environmental advocates and researchers came together to educate the public about right whale migration along Maine’s coast.
They explained to the crowd that fishing lines are one of the biggest threats to the species.
With only about 400 North Atlantic right whales remaining, they are one of the world’s most endangered large whale species, and entanglement in fishing gear is a leading threat to their existence, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
NOAA recently rejected a proposal from Maine’s Department of Marine Resources that sought to reduce the ‘presumed risk’ of entanglement by right whales in lobster gear.
At the art show, organizers offered the opportunity to urge NOAA to put the strongest rules in place to protect the right whales.
New England Aquarium Right Whale Aerial Observer Amy Warren, Conservation Law Foundation Senior Attorney Emily Green, and Environment America Oceans Fellow Michaela Morris were there for the discussion and answered questions from the crowd.