Taxonomy
Eubalaena glacialis | Northern Right Whale
Distribution
Status
Conservation status
| HABITATS DIRECTIVE ARTICLE 17 REPORTING |
| Range | Unknown |
| Population | Unknown |
| Habitat | Unknown |
| Future Prospects | Unknown |
| Overall Assessment of Conservation Status | Unknown |
| Overall Trend in Conservation Status | N / A |
No live records for this vagrant species were obtained for Irish waters during the Article 17 reporting period
2007-2012 or since the Habitats Directive came into force.
Source: NPWS 2013.
IUCN Conservation Status |
| Ireland | Not Evaluated* |
| Europe (1) | Critically Endangered (D) |
| Global (2) | Endangered (D) |
* There is currently no Irish Red List for Marine Mammals.
Legal status
Protected by the following legal instruments:
- Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) Annex IV
- Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention) Appendix II
- Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention) Appendix I
- Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix I
- International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling 1946 (as amended)
- The Convention for the Protection of the marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR)
- Council Regulation (EC) No. 812/2004
- Wildlife Act (1976)
- Wildlife (Amendment) Act (2000)
- Whale Fisheries Act 1937
Native status
Vagrant.
The 2012 IUCN Global Red List assessment account for this species lists Ireland as one of the countries where it is native, however its U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation Fishing Areas range is listed as Atlantic-northwest and Atlantic-western central, which would not include Irish territorial waters. The same report indicates that the population for the eastern North Atlantic may be considered effectively extinct.
Source: Reilly, S.B. et al 2012.
Eubalaena glacialis is considered a vagrant in Irish waters for the purposes of Habitats Directive reporting.
Source: NPWS 2013.
Species Biology
Identification
- Adult female length: c. 15-17m
- Adult male length: c. 14-16m
- Max. adult length 18m
- Calf birth length: c. 4.4-4.8m
- Adult weight: 50-56 tonnes
- Blow: Wide, V-shaped, bushy, up to 5m
- Head shape: Large head, up to one quarter the body length, narrow arching rostrum. Wart-like callosities on the rostrum, lower lip and around the eyes. The largest callosity is called the bonnet, in front of the two widely divergent blowholes. Callosity patterns can be used to identify individuals.
- Baleen: Grey with fine bristles, 200 to 270 plates per side, up to 2.2m long.
- Dorsal fin: No dorsal fin
- Colouration: Predominantly black, often mottled, variable amount of white on belly.
- Body:The body is robust, with a broad back. Flippers broad and spatulate, large black flukes have a concave margin. There are no throat grooves in this species.
Source: Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.
Habitat
The species numbers in the east North Atlantic are so low that it is not known whether there is a specific habitat preference for that population. Historical evidence would point to the population being one associated with coastal / continental shelf waters.
Source: Harris S., Yalden D.W. 2008.
Habitat includes but is not necessarily limited to;
- Open marine water (MW1)
Sources: Harris S.,Yalden D.W., 2008; Fossitt, J.A., 2001.
Reproduction
- Estimated life expectancy: 70 years.
- Female sexual maturity: 7-10 years.
- Male sexual maturity: at length 14-15m (age unknown).
- Gestation: Approximately c.12 months.
- Calving: Autumn-Winter
Source: Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.
Threats faced
In the Article 17 Habitats Directive reporting for the period 2007-2012 no Threats were listed for this species.
Source: NPWS 2013.
It is unclear whether any sightings of Northern Right Whales in the North East Atlantic are mainly of individuals from a true remnant population, or of vagrants from the North West Atlantic population. The threats the species face in the North West Atlantic, as identified in the 2007 European Regional IUCN Red List Assessment and the 2012 Global IUCN Red List Assessment, could be assumed to apply to vagrant individuals, or any remnant population, in the North East Atlantic. The identified threats are;
- Fishing & Harvesting Aquatic Resources [this would include entanglement in fishing gear]
- Shipping Lanes [this refers to the threat of injury / mortality due to ship or boat collisions]
Source: IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group 2007.
Conservation actions
In the Article 17 Habitats Directive reporting for the period
2007-2012 no Conservation Measures in place or in the process of being
implemented during the period were listed for this species.
Source: NPWS 2013.
Apart from an acknowledgement of the existence of legislative and administrative protection, there are no suggested Conservation Actions in the 2007 European Regional IUCN Red List assessment or the 2012 Global IUCN Red List assessment for this species that may be relevant in Irish waters.
Source: IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group 2007.In a 2009 Cetacean Action Plan for Ireland a total of 41 Actions were identified as part of the plan. The plan and the 2013 review of the plan are available from the NPWS website.
Source: DEHLG 2009.
Distribution
World distribution(GBIF)
The species has been recorded in coastal regions of the following states:
Bermuda; Canada; Greenland; Iceland; Ireland; Norway; Portugal (Azores, Madeira, Portugal (mainland)); Saint Pierre and Miquelon; Spain (Canary Is., Spain (mainland)); United Kingdom; United States.
In the eastern North Atlantic there have been scant records since the 1960s.
Source: IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group 2007.
Accuracy of world distribution shown in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) map below will be constrained by, amongst other factors, data held but not shared by countries and organizations not participating in the GBIF.
Irish distribution
There is currently insufficient data on the Northern Right Whale to confidently produce a map of its Irish distribution, although it is considered effectively extinct in the eastern North Atlantic.
Source: IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group 2007.
Temporal change
Records submitted to Data Centre in 2024
The following map is interactive. If you would prefer to view it full screen then click here.
How can you help
The National Biodiversity Data Centre is trying to
improve our knowledge on the distribution of the Northern Right Whale in
Ireland. Should you observe this species, please submit
sightings to add to the database. Detailed observations will assist us
gaining a better insight into where the species
is most abundant in Ireland and we might also be able to detect
regional variations. Please submit any sightings and photographs at:
http://records.biodiversityireland.ie/index.php
All
records submitted online can be viewed on Google Maps – once checked
and validated these will be added to the database and made available for
conservation and research.
Further information
For further information contact Dr. Liam Lysaght llysaght@biodiversityireland.ie
References
Publications
DEHLG 2009 Conservation Plan for Cetaceans in Irish waters.
Fossitt, J.A. (2001) A Guide to Habitats in Ireland. The Heritage Council
Harris S., Yalden D.W. (2008). Mammals of the British Isles :Handbook, 4th Edition. The Mammal Society.
Species account by IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group; regional assessment by European Mammal Assessment team 2007. Eubalaena glacialis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 16 October 2014.
NPWS (2013) The Status of EU Protected Habitats and Species in Ireland. Species Assessments Volume 3. Version 1.0. Unpublished Report, National Parks & Wildlife Services. Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin, Ireland.
NPWS (2013a) Delivery Schedule for Actions listed in the Conservation Plan for Cetaceans in Irish waters – June 2013
Reilly, S.B., Bannister, J.L., Best, P.B., Brown, M., Brownell Jr., R.L., Butterworth, D.S., Clapham, P.J., Cooke, J., Donovan, G., Urbán, J. & Zerbini, A.N. 2012. Eubalaena glacialis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 16 October 2014.
Wall, D., Murray, C., O’Brien, J., Kavanagh, L., Wilson, C., Ryan, C., Glanville, B., Williams, D., Enlander, I., O’Connor, I., McGrath, D., Whooley, P. & Berrow, S. (2013). Atlas of the Distribution and Relative Abundance of Marine Mammals in Irish Offshore Waters: 2005 – 2011. Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Kilrush, Co. Clare.