A new species of a whale discovered last year in the Gulf of Mexico is already ‘on the brink of extinction,’ and more than one hundred scientists have petitioned the Biden administration to take action.
Until January 2021, when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed it was a new species of baleen whale, this animal was often known as Rice’s whale or the Gulf of Mexico whale. Previously, it was thought to be Bryde’s whales.
Researchers believe offshore oil and gas drilling practices are to blame; approximately 20% of the population may have perished in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
This would be “the first anthropogenic extinction of a great whale species,” according to a wide group of scientists.
Rice whales can weigh up to 600,000 pounds, grow to a length of 42 feet, and live up to sixty years.
In the letter written to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, the experts stress that this is the only species of big whale that resides year-round in U.S. waters.
Yet little on-water protection measures have been implemented. Unless considerable conservation measures are taken, concluded the experts.
Scientists accuse the research and production of fossil fuels in the Gulf seas of destroying the animals’ habitat and killing them accidentally.
The scientists claim that further oil and gas production in the Gulf poses a ‘clear, existential threat to the whale’s existence and recovery,’ citing the effects of extensive airgun surveys and oil spills.
The letter references April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon accident that released 134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf.
The species is also harmed by seismic oil and gas exploration noise, which “dominates the acoustic environment throughout the majority of the northern Gulf.”
The authors wrote, “Airgun surveys have far-reaching impacts on baleen whales, including the masking of ecologically significant noises and the interruption of feeding and reproduction activities over vast ocean areas.”
Rice whales spend the night within 49 feet of the water’s surface, posing a threat posed by the numerous shipping routes that traverse the area.
The letter reads, “One stranded whale, a lactating female, was discovered with injuries consistent with blunt force trauma, and another, a free-swimming individual, was identified with spine deformities consistent with a collision injury.”
Another free-swimming person with spinal abnormalities consistent with a collision injury was identified.
Even though there are only fifty known Rice’s whales, experts are optimistic that the species can be saved because the whales are still breeding and past observations of baleen whales indicate that populations can rebound if the habitat improves.
The letter states, “However, Gulf of Mexico whales are on the verge of extinction, and urgent action is required to reduce death and serious damage, as well as to alleviate human pressures.”
According to the experts, the only option to conserve the whales is to stop exploiting the Gulf for offshore wind farms or oil and gas development, pushing the government to prevent drilling within and beyond the whales’ habitat.
The letter states, “Habitat in the eastern, central, and western Gulf must be conserved.”
The Biden administration is moving forward with drilling in the northern Gulf of Mexico and is “considering a new five-year program for offshore oil and gas leasing, along with a new regulation and related licenses and authorizations for seismic surveys in the Gulf of Mexico.”
The Gulf of Mexico whale is an integral part of the Gulf’s natural history and the only large whale species that reside year-round in U.S. waters. Yet few on-water protection measures have been implemented, experts determined.
The United States is likely to cause the first extinction of a great whale species due to human activity if strong conservation measures are not adopted.
