Division, a North Atlantic right whale, was discovered deceased in U.S. waters after becoming entangled in fishing gear. This incident marks the first entanglement fatality of 2026 as reported by the Canadian Whale Institute. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced in a press release that an aerial survey team detected the carcass of a right whale floating around 40 kilometers off the coast of Avon, N.C., on January 27. Scientists from the New England Aquarium confirmed the deceased whale to be Division, a four-year-old male. The examination revealed that the whale had a fishing line entwined around its head and mouth, causing injuries to its blowhole and upper jaw.
North Atlantic right whales face critical endangerment, with fewer than 400 individuals remaining, and NOAA attributes entanglements and vessel collisions in U.S. and Canadian waters as primary causes of mortality. According to Tonya Wimmer, the executive director of the Marine Animal Response Society, the loss of critically endangered species is always significant as every individual contributes to the recovery of the population.
Division was initially sighted entangled on December 3, with subsequent observations indicating deteriorating health due to the prolonged entanglement. Efforts were made to remove some fishing gear in December, but adverse weather conditions and the whale’s distance from the shore hindered complete disentanglement. Division was last seen alive on January 21. The New England Aquarium reported that Division’s death is the first documented North Atlantic right whale fatality since May 2024.
Despite the challenges, there are signs of hope for the species. More than 21 calves have been born since the start of the current calving season in November, surpassing the number born in the previous season. Wimmer remains optimistic about the species’ resilience, emphasizing the need to address controllable factors hindering their recovery.
Due to the location of Division’s carcass and hazardous weather conditions, retrieval and necropsy are not feasible, as stated by NOAA. However, federal authorities will analyze the fishing gear removed from the whale. Division had three prior documented entanglements, and the New England Aquarium noted its frequent sightings in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in New Brunswick, where the species has gradually shifted due to warming ocean temperatures.
