Wednesday July 13, 2022
The Hill —
The federal government plans on reviewing a request to increase critical habitat in Alaska waters for North Pacific right whales.
North pacific right whales were hunted for centuries for their oil, meat and baleen — or the teeth-like bristles they use to filter ocean water and capture food — and are now the most endangered large whale species on the planet.
Now, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates that there are only 30 North Pacific right whales left in the wild.
The decision comes to a petition filed in March by two environmental groups, the Center for Biological Diversity and Save the North Pacific Right Whale, asking the federal government to expand critical habitat designations for the whale under the Endangered Species Act, according to a statement.