Wildlife Trust's Aerial Survey Team Aids in Whale Rescue
Conservation Scientists with Bird's Eye View Vital to Disentanglement Success
NEW YORK - March 16, 2009 - Wildlife Trust, the international conservation organization committed to wildlife protection, was instrumental in the disentanglement of a right whale off the southeastern coast of the U.S last week. The Wildlife Trust Aerial Survey team first sighted right whale #3311, named "Bridle", entangled in fishing line on a routine daily flight off the coast of Georgia.
The team, headed by Patricia Naessig, Wildlife Trust Right Whale Coordinator, informed officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources (GDNR) of the whale's condition. While surveying right whales during calving season, Wildlife Trust conservation scientists occasionally spot whales entangled in fishing gear and also work with shipping officials to notify ships of the presence of whales. The Wildlife Trust team, along with other survey teams monitoring the southeastern U.S. waters, has identified and documented five whales entangled in fishing gear this calving season. These entanglements are one of the major causes of whale injuries and deaths each year. North Atlantic right whales are one of the most endangered large whale species with just a few hundred in existence.
Working in collaboration with other agencies and disentanglement crews, Wildlife Trust is helping to save these whales from extinction. Wildlife Trust provides much needed aerial support to locate whales and their newborn calves, relays those locations to shipping interests to avoid potentially deadly ship strikes, and locates entangled whales at-risk.
Endangered North Atlantic right whales migrate to the southeastern U.S. each calving season. This region is the only known calving ground for the species and has been designated as a critical habitat for right whales. "It's a collaborative effort to keep this species safe from human-induced fatalities, and the Wildlife Trust Aerial Survey team plays an important role each year by locating and documenting movements and behavior of right whales and their calves," said Cynthia Taylor, Associate Vice-President of the Aquatic Conservation Program at Wildlife Trust.
Wildlife Trust's Aquatic Conservation Program focuses on right whale and manatee protection and research around the world with programs based in Florida, Central and South America, and West Africa. Each year the Wildlife Trust Aerial Survey team logs almost 300 flight hours to monitor right whales off the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina as part of their conservation efforts.
About Wildlife Trust
Wildlife Trust empowers local conservation scientists worldwide to protect nature and safeguard ecosystem and human health. Wildlife Trust is a conservation science innovator and leverages research expertise through strategic global alliances. Wildlife Trust pioneered the field of Conservation Medicine, a new discipline that addresses the link between ecological disruption of habitats and the effects on wildlife, livestock and human health.
Founded in 1971 by British naturalist and author Gerald Durrell, Wildlife Trust has built its reputation on 35 years of global research, education, training and experience. Research and conservation work in the United States include programs in Florida and along the coast of the Southeastern U.S.
Internationally, Wildlife Trust trains and supports a network of scientists around the world to save endangered species and their habitats and to protect the health of vital ecosystems. Wildlife Trust created the first egalitarian international network of science-based conservation organizations called the Wildlife Trust Alliance and is a founding partner organization of the Consortium for Conservation Medicine, a unique think-tank of prestigious academic institutions.
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::Media Contact::
Anthony Ramos, Wildlife Trust
Director for Marketing & Communications
ramos@wildlifetrust.org
1-212-380-4469 (office) | 1-914-787-9631 (mobile)