Two positive wildlife stories have appeared in the press. The first is that North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis), a critically endangered species living in the crowded eastern seaboard, have produced a bumper crop of offspring last year. Florida officials report fourteen new babies in the wintering grounds, with three born to first time mothers. Unfortunately the species suffered an unusual number of fatalities in 2017 with 32 confirmed deaths. Right whales suffer from human encroachment in their waters, often becoming entangled in disgarded fishing gear and collisions with speeding vessels. Records indicate a population of only 356 at the end of 2019.
Atlantic puffins
(Fratercula arctica), a favorite among bird watchers and wildlife lovers because of their bright plumage and waddling walk, are enjoying an increased herring population on the Gulf of Maine coast. Herrings are the birds' favorite food. Herring fishing has been controlled by federal quotas that have allowed the population to increase in the last few years. The US catch fell from more than 200 million pounds in 2014 to less than 25 million pounds in 2019. New restrictions on the herring fishing industry come into effect in February including the prohibition of certain types of gear close inshore where the puffins feed. The puffins nest in the summer on islands such as Eastern Egg Rock off Maine’s mid-coast region, where they are a popular tourism draw. Puffin chicks are fed a steady diet of herring. Parents can often be seen carting several small fish in their beaks back to their nests during breeding season. Humans mostly use herring as a bait fish for lobster pots.
