Photo by Rosa Ferreira on Unsplash (illustrative)
On 21 October 2025, the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium estimated that 384 right whales were alive in 2024, up from a revised 376 in 2023. NOAA Fisheries said it was the third consecutive year in which the population showed signs of increasing.
Key facts
The population is about 20 whales larger than in 2020, according to NOAA Fisheries.
No right whale deaths were detected in 2025, according to the consortium's report card.
Twenty mother-and-calf pairs were seen in 2024 and 11 in 2025.
The U.S. and Canada both implemented measures to reduce ship strikes and fishing-gear entanglements.
Why it matters
North Atlantic right whales feed and calve close to busy ports and fishing grounds along the east coast of North America, and more than 85% have been entangled in fishing gear at least once. Several years of small gains, after a wave of deaths that began in 2017, suggest protective rules are starting to help.
Worth noting
Only about 70 females are actively breeding, and they now calve every seven to ten years instead of about every three. At least five new entanglement events were detected in 2025, and scientists say much stronger growth is needed for recovery.