Eubalaena japonica

The right whales have been driven nearly to extinction as the species preferred by commercial whalers and have been hunted in spite of international bans.  There are perhaps several hundred in the western Pacific, and perhaps only a handful in the eastern Pacific.  Between 1960 and 1996, only a few solitary animals were sighted; in 1996, a group of four was found in the Bering Sea.

These animals are among the largest mammals and can weigh as much as 100 tons at maturity.  They can live 70 years or longer. The North Atlantic right whale differs in skin color from the North Pacific right whale and the cold waters of the Arctic Circle are a natural impediment to the mingling of these two groups.

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Mammal Species of the World

Prior to the onset of commercial whaling in the 1830s, right whales were widely distributed across the North Pacific (Scarff 1986, Clapham et al. 2004, Shelden et al. 2005). In the eastern North Pacific, the waters adjacent to the Aleutian Islands and much of the Bering Sea below 60^oN were major feeding grounds during spring, summer and autumn, as was virtually the entire Gulf of Alaska. Neither the historical nor the present-day breeding/calving grounds for this subpopulation have been identified.

In recent decades, both the southeastern Bering Sea and the western Gulf of Alaska (shelf and slope waters south of Kodiak) have been the focus of sightings as well as illegal Soviet catches (see below). Recent acoustic detections of right whale calls have been made in both areas using autonomous recording packages deployed for extended periods (Moore et al. 2006). They confirm the presence of right whales in the southeastern Bering Sea from May into November; records from the Gulf of Alaska are somewhat more sporadic, but include detections in August and September.

Seasonal movements are evident in sighting and catch data from the 20^th century, with a general northward migration into the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea in spring and summer, and a gradual movement away from these areas in autumn (Clapham et al. 2004, Shelden et al. 2005). There are very few records of right whales anywhere in the North Pacific in winter.

In general, the majority of eastern North Pacific right whale sightings (historically and in recent times) have occurred from about 40º N to 60º N. There are historical records from north of 60º N, but these are rare and many are likely to be misidentified bowhead whales. Right whales have on rare occasions been recorded off California and Mexico, as well as off Hawaii. However, as noted by Brownell et al. (2001), there is no evidence that either Hawaii or the west coast of North America from WashingtonState to Baja California has ever been important habitat for right whales. Consequently, the few records from this region are considered to represent vagrants.

Recent data indicate that while the present range of the remnant eastern subpopulation is likely reduced relative to pre-whaling times, the southeastern Bering Sea and western Gulf of Alaska (south of Kodiak) remain important habitats.

In the North Pacific, right whales occur during the summer in the Sea of Okhotsk, the southeastern Bering Sea, the Aleutian Islands, and the northern Gulf of Alaska. During the winter, they occur (or at least occurred historically) southward to the Sea of Japan [=East Sea], Taiwan Strait and the Ogasawara Gunto (Bonin Islands, Japan) in the west and to Baja California Sur (Mexico) in the east. Populations on the Asian and American sides of the Pacific are regarded as discrete (Brownell et al. 2001). Vagrants have been recorded in the Hawaiian islands (Rowntree et al. 1980, Herman et al. 1980).

Formerly abundant across much of the North Pacific in summer, mainly north of 40°N, the right whale is now regularly seen only in the Okhotsk Sea and the southeastern Bering Sea, with occasional sightings along the east coast of Japan, off the Bonin Islands, and in the Gulf of Alaska. In the 1970s there were two sightings off Hawaii (Salden and Mickelson 1999) in spring and three right whales were taken in the Yellow Sea in winter (Wang 1978, 1988). Sightings off California and Mexico are rare and there is no evidence that the western coasts of the United States and Mexico were ever highly frequented habitat for this species (Brownell et al. 2001).

North Pacific right whales, Eubalaena japonica, are found in temperate and sub-arctic waters in the Pacific Ocean between 20 and 60 degrees latitude. They range from Japan and Russia in the west to Alaska and the west coast of North America in the east. They migrate to higher latitudes in the summer and to lower latitudes and coastal areas in winter. In summer, north Pacific right whales are found in the Sea of Okhotsk, Bering Sea, around the Aleutian Island chain, and in the Gulf of Alaska. In winter they are found (or were once found) in the Sea of Japan, Taiwan straits, and Ogasawara Bunto in the western Pacific and south to coastal Baja California in the eastern Pacific. They have also been seen occasionally in the Hawaiian Islands. Populations in the eastern and western Pacific are considered discrete populations. North Pacific right whales were formerly abundant throughout this range, but they are now rare and primarily observed in the Okhotsk Sea, southeastern Bering Sea, and occasionally along coastal Japan. North Pacific right whales primarily occur in coastal or shelf waters, though they have also been sighted in deep waters.

Biogeographic Regions: pacific ocean (Native )

temperate and subpolar waters of North Pacific

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: North Pacific (Baja California to Bering Sea, and off the northeastern Asian coast south in winter to the Yellow Sea). Existing data suggest that the Bering Sea, the Gulf of Alaska, the Okhotsk Sea, the Kuril Islands, and the coast of Kamchatka are the areas with the greatest likelihood of finding North Pacific right whales today (Clapham et al. 2004). See Goddard and Rugh (1998) and Tynan et al. (2001) for a review of recent records in the Bering Sea.

North Pacific right whales are massive creatures with heads that can be almost one-third of their total body length. Males are generally measure between 14 and 17 m in length, and females are longer than males. Adults weigh between 70 and 100 tons. Newborn right whales are generally 4 to 6 m long. The skin of north Pacific right whales is largely black, although individuals may have white patches on their undersides. They are marked by large callosities, large patches of raised tissue, on the rostrum, near the blowholes and eyes, and on the chin and lower lip. The largest callosity, on the top of the rostrum, is referred to as a "bonnet." These callosities harbor barnacles (Cirripedia) and whale lice (Cyamidae), which make the callosities appear white, yellow, or pink. Callosities emerge after birth, but a pattern of callosities is not established for 7 to 10 months. Callosities may grow upwards and even break off, but their placement on a whale's head generally does not change.

North Pacific right whales are stocky baleen whales with broad rounded flippers, no dorsal fin or ridge, and lacking a grooved throat. The tail of a right whale is all black, broad, and is deeply notched in the center with a smooth trailing edge. Their flippers are broad and fan-shaped. Right whales are slow swimmers, only achieving speeds up to 5 knots (just over 9 km/hr) and averaging 2 knots (3.7 km/hr). Their head and jaws are massive, making up almost 1/3 of the length of these whales. Baleen plates are brownish-gray in color, range from 200 to 270 in number on each side of the mouth, and can reach 3 m in length. Their blowholes are separated on their dorsal surface and exhalations result in a large, V-shaped blows up to 5 m high. Their 7 cervical vertebrae are fused into a single unit. These whales got their name for being the "right" whales to catch. Once killed, their large amounts of blubber cause them to float at the surface and result in huge yields of oil. Their blubber can be up to 71 cm thick and make up to 45% of their body mass.

North Pacific right whales may be confused with bowhead whales, but are distinguishable by the presence of callosities on their body and white patches on their undersides. They are also closely related to southern right whales, though north Pacific right whales have larger and wider flippers than their southern counterparts. North Pacific right whales were, until recently, considered the same species as north Atlantic right whales. The species were separated because of genetic evidence

Range mass: 63,500 to 72,574 kg.

Average mass: 90,718 kg.

Range length: 13.7 to 17 m.

Average length: 15 m.

Sexual Dimorphism: female larger

Length:
Range: 17-18.3 meters (50 -60 feet)

Weight:
Range: up to 90,000 kg (100 tons)

Depth range based on 1 specimen in 1 taxon.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 1 sample.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0 - 0
  Temperature range (°C): 4.593 - 4.593
  Nitrate (umol/L): 5.984 - 5.984
  Salinity (PPS): 31.740 - 31.740
  Oxygen (ml/l): 7.464 - 7.464
  Phosphate (umol/l): 1.013 - 1.013
  Silicate (umol/l): 19.141 - 19.141
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

Habitat and Ecology

Systems

• Marine

Habitat and Ecology

Systems

• Marine

Little is known about the specific habitats used by north Pacific right whales. They primarily occur in coastal or shelf waters, though they have also been observed moving through deep waters. They migrate to higher latitudes during the spring and summer, and much of their distribution is strongly correlated to the distribution of their prey. North Pacific right whiles occupy four habitats based on use: feeding, calving, nursery, and breeding areas. Feeding areas are visited seasonally and have dense populations of copepod and krill. Calving areas are used for calving and neonatal nursing. During the winter, many right whales feed and suckle their young in nursery areas, which are generally located in shallow, coastal waters at low latitudes. Other winter habitat is unknown. Finally, conception occurs in breeding areas. However, there is no evidence of breeding aggregations of north Pacific right whales in winter, as with their close relative southern right whales. During the summer, the majority of the population of north Pacific right whales can be found the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Sea of Okhotsk and northern North Pacific during summer. North Pacific right whales pass through the southeastern Bering Sea only for a few days at a time and mainly from July to October (but as early as May and as late as December).

Habitat Regions: temperate ; polar ; saltwater or marine

Aquatic Biomes: pelagic ; coastal

Habitat Type: Marine

Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Northern Pacific right whales feed mainly at the surface on concentrations of zooplanktonic crustaceans, such as krill, calanoid copepods, and larval barnacles. Specifically, they are known to eat Neocalanus plumchrus, Calanus finmarchius, and Calanus cristatus, along with north Pacific krill and Oaratgenusti japonica. Food is gathered by skimming the surface of the water with rostrum exposed in the air, mouth open. They take in large amounts of sea water through triangular openings at the front of their mouth. After passing through the baleen, water is expressed from their mouth by the tongue, leaving their zooplankton prey behind. Northern Pacific right whales have baleen plates with exceptionally fine fringes to collect their very small prey.

Animal Foods: aquatic crustaceans; other marine invertebrates; zooplankton

Foraging Behavior: filter-feeding

Primary Diet: carnivore (Eats non-insect arthropods)

Right whales are important predators of krill and microcrustacean faunas. The relative rarity of north Pacific right whales may mean that their impact on these faunas is currently small. Right whales have communities of barnacles and whale lice on their bodies. Whale lice are abundant on the callosities along the lips and tend to accumulate around wounds, as do amphipods. Barnacles have also been found on the callosities of north Atlantic and southern right whales, but no evidence has shown the presence of these barnacles of north Pacific right whales. Right whales are thought to use breaching to try and dislodge parasites. Right whales also have a low infestation rate of endoparasites, including Priapocephauls grandis, Bolbosoma brevicolle, and Bolbosoma turbinella.

Commensal/Parasitic Species:

• barnacles Cirripedia
• whale lice Cyamidae
• Priapocephauls grandis
• Bolbosoma brevicolle
• Bolbosoma turbinella

Because of their very large size, adult right whales have no natural predators. Newborn calves may fall prey to killer whales or large sharks. In the last several hundred years, humans have been the primary predators of northern Pacific right whales.

Known Predators:

• Humans Homo spaiens
• Killer whales Orcinus orca
• large sharks Chondrichthyes

250 - 1000 individuals

Comments: Total population is estimated at about 250-300 in the North Pacific (NMFS 1987, Right Whale Recovery Team 1990, Mayo and Marx 1990). The "eastern population" in the North Pacific "probably totals only tens of animals" (Brownell et al. 2001, Tynan et al. 2001, North Pacific Right Whale Recovery Team 2004). Observations of adults and calves in the Bering Sea in 2004 expanded the known eastern population to at least 25 individuals (NOAA 2004).

North Pacific right whales use vocalizations extensively, as do other whales. Their vocalizations include both complex and simple, low-frequency sounds. The low-frequency sounds have been described as "belch-like." Other sounds include moans, grunts, sighs, and bellows. In a study of north Pacific right whale vocalization in the Bering Sea, over 80% of vocalizations were "up-calls," calls that were frequency modulated and ended on a higher frequency. These calls were from 90 to 150 Hz and about 0.7 seconds in duration. The remainder of calls were either "down-up calls," with a downward frequency change before becoming an up call (5%) or constant frequency moans. North Pacific right whale calls are generally less than 250 Hz and occur at irregular intervals of over 10 seconds apart.

Communication Channels: acoustic

Perception Channels: visual ; acoustic

Little is known about the lifespan of north Pacific right whales, but it is likely quite long. An individual of a closely related species, Eubalaena glacialis (north Atlantic right whale) lived to be at least 67 years of age. Other close relatives, Balaena mysticetus (bowhead whales), have been confirmed living to 200 years of age.

Although mating systems have not been described for north Pacific right whales, it is likely that mating is similar in other right whale species such as southern right whales and north Atlantic right whales. Southern right whales and north Atlantic right whales form non-aggressive mating aggregations in which individuals engage in gentle physical contact and nuzzling. Females are likely to mate with multiple males and males do not compete aggressively for females. Behaviors associated with mating in right whales include fin and tail slapping at the surface, "headstanding," and breaching. In headstanding, right whales float at the water surface in a vertical position with the flukes extended into the air. They may also rock back and forth while in this position and hold it for several minutes. This is thought to be a mating display. Breaching and tail/fin slapping are also more common during mating aggregations and may be a kind of courtship display.

The sex organs of male right whales are positioned on their abdomen. Right whales have no scrotum or baculum, however they have exceptionally large testes. One north Pacific right whale was reported to have a testis 201 cm in length, 78 cm in diameter, and 525 kg in mass. Males have a darkly pigmented, long, slender, retractile penis that can reach 215 to 270 cm in length. The ovaries of female right whales are also positioned on the abdomen. The largest measured ovary weighed 6.3 kg. Right whales have a bicornuate uterus, and it is thought a fetus can develop in either horn of the uterus, as with most baleen whales.

Mating System: polygynandrous (promiscuous)

Like other right whales, northern Pacific right whales have exceptionally low reproductive rates. They give birth in winter to a single young every 3 to 4 years after a gestation period of just over a year. Breeding generally occurs in winter with births occurring the next spring. The length of lactation is unknown but has been estimated to last 6 or 7 months. Although the duration is unknown for right whales, weaning is usually gradual and prolonged in ceteceans. A 1-year-old north Pacific right whale was found with a large amount of milk in its stomach, and another individual 11.3 m in length appeared fully weaned. Males reach sexual maturity when they reach 15.2 m in length and females at 15.8 m, which is about 10 years in age.

Breeding interval: Female north Pacific right whales give birth to a single young every 3 to 4 years.

Breeding season: North Pacific right whales breed during the winter.

Average number of offspring: 1.

Range gestation period: 12 (low) months.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 10 years.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 10 years.

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); viviparous

North Pacific right whales measure up to 6 m in length when they are born, and they grow quickly for their first few years, reaching lengths up to 12 m by 18 months of age. The milk of mother north Pacific right whales is high in protein and is lipid-rich. Mothers nurse, protect, and care for their young, investing significant energy into each offspring. Little is known about the duration of lactation and care, but it is likely to be long, given the 3 to 4 year interval between breeding attempts in females. There may be a long period of association with the mother and an extended period of learning. Female right whales have strong inclinations to protect their young. Females position themselves between their claves and sources of danger including other whales, boats, aircrafts, or divers.

Parental Investment: precocial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-independence (Protecting: Female)

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

There are 2 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 2
Specimens with Barcodes: 2
Species With Barcodes: 1

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N1 - Critically Imperiled

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N1 - Critically Imperiled

Year Assessed

Assessor/s

Reviewer/s

Contributor/s

Justification

Year Assessed

Assessor/s

Reviewer/s

Justification

History

• 1996
  Endangered
• 1996
  Endangered

North Pacific right whales are currently one of the rarest whale species, with some estimates placing the world population at around 1400 individuals and other estimates substantially smaller (~500 in the western Pacific and numbering less than 100 in the eastern Pacific). They were previously common in the north Pacific but were relentlessly pursued by whalers throughout the 19th century. Japanese whaling of this species began in the late 1500's and whaling by Americans and Europeans began in the 1800's. As many as 37,000 north Pacific right whales were killed in a 70 year period from 1839 to 1909, leaving populations at a fraction of their previous levels. Right whales became protected by international agreement in 1935 and by law in 1946 by the International Whaling Commission. Illegal hunting continued through the 1960's, during which time Soviet whaling ships took almost the entire remaining population of eastern Pacific right whales (372 individuals), leaving the population at an estimated 50 individuals. The eastern Pacific population is considered critically endangered and populations in the western Pacific are considered endangered by the IUCN. These whales have been protected from hunting since 1970, but entanglements and deaths continue to occur occasionally. Only 1,965 north Pacific right whales were observed in the 20th century.

Appointed in 1987, The Northern Right Whale Recovery Team created a recovery plan for both north Pacific and north Atlantic right whales. The National Marine Fisheries Service approved the recovery plan in 1991, which strives to see both species fully recover but first focuses on recovery to bring their status from “endangered” to merely “threatened”. Some actions recommended in the recovery plan include eliminating injury caused by ship collision, fisheries, and fishing gear; monitoring population size and trends; maximizing efforts to free entangled or stranded right whales; obtaining scientific information from dead specimens; and protecting habitats that are essential for right whales to survive.

US Federal List: endangered

CITES: appendix i

State of Michigan List: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: critically endangered

Rounded Global Status Rank: G1 - Critically Imperiled

Reasons: Two stocks recognized in the North Pacific; population estimate is greater than 300 individuals for entire North Pacific; eastern stock numbers in the tens of individuals. Populations have failed to increase significantly even with protection. Potential threats include inbreeding depression and low population density effects, collisions with ships, entanglement in fishing gear, disturbance by human activity, and changes in food supply as a result of climatic warming.

Endangered.

Population

Population Trend

Population

Population Trend

Major Threats

Major Threats

Comments: Initial large decline was due primarily to hunting that occurred through the mid-1930s and lack of population recovery has been attributed to illegal Soviet whaling in the 1960s (Clapham et al. 2004). Because this species is so long-lived, recovery, if it does happen, may not be observable for decades more.

Current potential threats include inbreeding depression and low population density effects (Allee effect), collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing gear, degradation of feeding habitat (e.g., through effects of pollution on zooplankton), human disturbance (e.g., ships and other underwater noisemakers) and climate change and resultant changes in food supply (see North Pacific Right Whale Recovery Team 2004).

Conservation Actions

Conservation Actions

Biological Research Needs: Specific reasons for lack of population recovery need to be determined.

There are no known adverse effects of north Pacific right whales on humans.

Right whales, including north Pacific right whales, have been hunted for their oil and baleen. Whale oil is used in the manufacturing of soaps, candles, and lard substitutes. Before petroleum, whale oil was a valuable illuminant. The baleen of right whales was used to stiffen clothing and can be used to make whips and canes. In Japan and Norway, baleen whales are also used as a food source. Hunting of right whales, however, has been outlawed by international conventions since 1935.

Positive Impacts: food ; body parts are source of valuable material

subpopulation Northeast Pacific right whale : Critically Endangered (CR)

Endangered (EN)