LAWSUIT: Right whales on the brink

Dear folks,

It’s tragic. Last month, another critically endangered North Atlantic right whale was found dead – entangled in fishing gear – off the coast of Virginia.

The situation is dire – and without our immediate intervention, the species will likely become functionally extinct in the next 20 years. That is why Defenders is suing the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for failing to protect right whales from fatal entanglements in fishing lines.

But we need your help to raise $150,000 by February 28^th to support our legal team and our life-saving work of protecting right whales and other wildlife.

Fewer than 450 North Atlantic right whales remain, and this latest death comes on the heels of one of the deadliest years for right whales since the days of commercial whaling. In 2017, at least 17 of these critically endangered whales died – and a majority of their deaths were attributed to deadly entanglements in fishing gear.

Entanglement in fishing gear is the primary threat to the survival of right whales. In fact, scientists estimate that 83 percent of right whales have experienced entanglement in fishing gear at least once in their lifetimes.

A right whale can die within minutes, drowning as it struggles to free itself – or it can die slowly and painfully over many months from injury, infection, or starvation.

It is a horrific end that no animal should have to suffer.

Give today to help save right whales from a sea of snares.

But the harms of entanglements don’t stop there. Scientists have learned that stress from chronic and long-term entanglements reduces female whales’ reproductive rates. Sadly, 2017 was also one of the worst on record for calf births – with only five recorded.

The math is clear: right whale deaths are far outpacing their birth rates and it’s putting them on an escalating trajectory toward extinction.

But their fate is not yet sealed. Defenders is pulling out all the stops to ensure a future for right whales and other imperiled species. We are mounting a defense for wildlife in courtrooms across the country.

Your urgent donation will provide the funds we need to defend wildlife whenever threats arise. Get us to our goal of $150,000 by Feb. 28^th!

Sincerely,

Jamie Rappaport Clark President, Defenders of Wildlife

---

Defenders of Wildlife | 1130 17th St NW, Washington, DC 20036 | defenders.org

Defenders of Wildlife is a national, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities.

Photo credit: Right Whales (c) NOAA Florida Fish & Wildlife

© Copyright 2018 Defenders of Wildlife