Other threats include fishing nets, oil and gas development, pollution, and even being hit by ships — a whale was hit and killed by a ship in 2009. It's been coming for a while," said Scott Kraus, chief marine mammal scientist at the New England Aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life. Pronounced like Brutus the Popeye's character, the Bryde's whale was taken out of the water Tuesday at Everglades National Park's Flamingo boat ramp in Monroe County. "While it’s very sad that it’s dead it’s still a lot of value to us. Engleby said, "We don't really know much about this species." "I think it's a great thing to declare them endangered. Federal scientists say a tiny group of Bryde's whales in the Gulf of Mexico is endangered, with threats including oil and gas exploration and development.

Apart from all human-made problems and threats, being such a small population brings many problems in itself: a large enough proportion of the population needs to be able to reproduce to ensure a new generation can exist. Because they were confined to the Gulf of Mexico, they probably never were as numerous as some other species, said Smith. Major threats to this species include vessel collisions and whaling outside of U.S. waters, according to NOAA. The filter-feeding whales known as baleen whales can be hard to tell apart by sight, she said. It said the BP offshore oil spill in 2010 overlapped nearly half their habitat and might have killed up to 22 percent of the population. Now There's Help From Oil Spill Aid Money. You can support our policy and research efforts by Adopting an Whale, subscribing to our blogs and enewsletters, or making a donation to help us continue our work. What was once thought to be a population of Bryde’s (Brood-ess) whale population in the Gulf of Mexico has become a bit of a mystery. The Gulf of Mexico is the most important source of crude oil for the US and therefore subject to large amounts of industrial and shipping activity.

"Although belated, this designation will help to protect this vulnerable species and aid in its recovery," U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan said in an emailed statement. It’s also important to remember that regardless of where you live, whales affect your life by fertilizing the phytoplankton that provide the oxygen for every other breath you take! Bryde's (pronounced \"broodus\") whales are members of the baleen whale family. Oil and gas companies agreed in 2013 not to use seismic surveys in an area including the DeSoto Canyon. One of the world's "great whales," Bryde's are a baleen species that feeds primarily on krill, shrimp, crabs and small schooling fish, according to NOAA Fisheries records.

In 2014, the Natural Resources Defense Council petitioned the US government to list this subspecies under Endangered Species Act (ESA). Engleby said the next step is to work out ways to help the whales recover, including consulting with other agencies and considering whether to designate critical habitat. Since it was lactating, she noted, the calf probably died, too. It said the BP offshore oil spill in 2010 overlapped nearly half their habitat and might have killed up to 22 percent of the population. NEW ORLEANS -- Federal scientists say a tiny group of Bryde's whales in the Gulf of Mexico is endangered, facing threats including oil and gas exploration and development. Sandy Key is a small island in Florida Bay just south of Flamingo and Cape Sable, about 3 and 1/2 hours from Fort Myers. Photo courtesy National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, AdventHealth In Partnership For New Orthopedic Tower In Downtown Orlando, Governor Backs Liability Protections Amid Pandemic, Watch Live: Fauci, Top Health Officials Face Senate Questions On Pandemic, Ginsburg, Role Model And 'Rock Star,' Lies In Repose At Supreme Court, Rare Whale Found Dead In Everglades National Park Waters, Gulf Whale Could Soon Be Listed As Endangered, Twitter May Be Used To Track Lingering Health Problems In The Gulf Of Mexico, Gulf Oyster Reefs Are Hurting. Don't miss out on the latest news and information. Two other subspecies are found in tropical waters around the world, but this one is so genetically different it may even be a different species, Engleby said. Ship strikes are a problem for many large whale species but the high intensity of vessel traffic in the Gulf of Mexico, including shipping lanes that cross through their habitat,  has lead government scientists to conclude that ‘ship strikes pose a “high severity threat” with “high certainty”. The effects of the industrial utilization of the waters and resources in the Gulf of Mexico pose further dangers. Tragically, an estimated 17% of this subspecies was killed in 2009 as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It is one of the rarest whales on Engleby said, "We don't really know much about this species." 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. We then considered the information on the … Subscibe to WDC’s Weekly Blog Digest, and get every blog in the 100 Days series. She said a study funded with money from penalties that energy giant BP PLC and others paid after the oil spill is using visual surveys, passive acoustic monitoring and tagging to learn more, including their part in the ecosystem. While Bryde's whales are protected throughout their range under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Gulf of Mexico population is considered by many scientists to be endangered due to low numbers.