Save the Rice’s Whale in the Gulf of Mexico
Swift action is needed to prevent the first human-caused great whale extinction.
Credit:
Grace Conger and Beth Josephson/NOAA Fisheries, permit #21938
The Rice’s whale is an ancient baleen whale species that lives in the Gulf of Mexico year-round. Unfortunately, thanks to human activity—such as oil spills, seismic blasting, plastic pollution, and fatal collisions with ships—the Rice’s whale is also one of the most endangered marine mammals on the planet, with a population numbering less than 100. Immediate federal action is needed to protect this unique part of the Gulf’s natural heritage and prevent the first-ever human-caused extinction of a great whale species.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE RICE'S WHALE
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America’s Newly Discovered Whale Is Already in Trouble
ExplainerLouisianaJason Bittel
Described officially for the first time in 2021, Rice’s whale has the distinction of being one of the most endangered whales on the planet.
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Last fall, experts in marine mammal research, conservation and management gathered at the Smithsonian Institution to talk Rice’s whales—and how to save them.