Soon, if conditions don’t change, Bryde’s whales living in the Gulf of Mexico are threatened with extinction, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). As of April, the NMFS reported that a specific group of Bryde’s whales needs protection, the ones living in the area of the deep ocean DeSoto Canyon. They are the whales that travel and live in a deep area of the ocean near where the British Petroleum (BP) oil disaster occurred in 2010.
In addition, the Natural Resources Defense Council filed a petition in 2014 to get the Bryde’s whales threatened with extinction some needed protection.
Bryde’s Whales Threatened with Extinction, Exist in Low Numbers
Bryde’s whales live and travel in warm parts of the ocean all over the globe, but the ones living in the Gulf of Mexico are a separate genetic species from the others. They are threatened with extinction because there are less than 50 of them left in the Gulf of Mexico area.
These whales are dying from being hit by ships, as well as by air guns being used in gas and oil activities, as well as over fishing, pollution, and the acidification of the ocean. While the Bryde’s whales are already protected through the Marine Mammal Protection Act, if they are deemed truly threatened with extinction, then they will have a higher status of protection.
It would then be possible for officials to start putting together a plan to help save the remaining Bryde’s whales. This is especially vital since recently the US Interior Department has started to let companies drill near where these particular whales live and travel. With better protection, the whales threatened with extinction will be safer.
Other Gulf of Mexico Whales Also Threatened With Extinction
The Bryde’s whales are not the only whale species threatened with extinction. There are five additional whale types that live and travel in the Gulf of Mexico area that are already listed as being endangered and threatened. These whale species include the humpback, finback, Sei, sperm, and blue whales. For instance, there are less than 1,600 sperm whales thought to be in existence.
The bottom line is that it is vital to get legislation passed quickly to protect the remaining Bryde’s whales that live and travel in the Gulf of Mexico. Humanity is the one who has caused their numbers to lessen, and is the only source of being able to protect them. These whales are all that is left of their genetic type and this threatened with extinction from multiple sources.
