Home / Environment / Critically Endangered Whale Suffers Tragic End
Critically Endangered Whale Suffers Tragic End
31 Jan
Summary
- A critically endangered North Atlantic right whale named Division died entangled in fishing gear.
- The whale, a four-year-old male, was found floating off the coast of North Carolina.
- This marks the first entanglement death of a right whale in 2026.
A four-year-old male North Atlantic right whale, identified as Division, was found dead on January 27, 2026, entangled in fishing gear approximately 40 kilometers off the coast of Avon, North Carolina. This incident represents the first recorded entanglement death for the critically endangered species in 2026.
Division had been previously sighted entangled in fishing gear over a month prior, on December 3, 2025. Although wildlife teams managed to remove some of the gear, poor weather and the whale's distance from shore prevented a full disentanglement, leading to a deterioration of his health. He was last seen alive on January 21, 2026.
Due to dangerous weather conditions and the whale's location, a necropsy will not be possible. However, federal authorities plan to analyze the fishing gear that was recovered. This event underscores the persistent dangers faced by North Atlantic right whales, with entanglements and vessel strikes being the primary causes of mortality for the population, which numbers fewer than 400 individuals.
