WEDNESDAY YACHTING LUNCHEON
Hosted by Ron Young
April 3, 2024
Right on the Brink: The Science Saving a Whale Population from Extinction
Jessica Crance, Research Biologist, Marine Mammal Lab of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA
Once numbering in the tens of thousands, the North Pacific Right Whale has been driven to the brink of extinction— fewer than 50 animals remain in the eastern population. Despite this, one of these rare animals was seen in Monterey Bay last March. So, what are North Pacific Right Whales, why are they so rare and what should you do if you see one? Join Jessica Crance, a research biologist at the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center's Marine Mammal Laboratory, as she talks about this critically endangered population, their dark history, how she and colleagues study the proverbial needles in a very large haystack of 1.5 million square miles, and why, despite overwhelmingly scary odds, there’s still hope.
