Declining Right Whale populations have been monitored by the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life in North Carolina. Their data shows that the Right Whale population has gone from nearly 500 to less than 365 in a matter of five years. They have also found a drastic decrease in mother/calf pairs, which averaged 24 in the 2000s but have dropped to 15 during the 2022-23 calving season. Whale populations such as the Right Whales are in no position to replenish their population, especially if the amount of healthy adult whales continues to decrease. The Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life estimated that “human activities are killing as many whales as are being born into the population.” If action is not taken soon to slow whale mortality, the population may never be able to rebound. 

To say that whales play an important role in their ecosystem would be an understatement. Whales not only impact life under the sea but life on land, as well. Whale feces nourish phytoplankton, microscopic organisms that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to negate the effects of global warming. Whales themselves also help absorb carbon as, when they die, their bodies sink to the bottom of the ocean, trapping their stored carbon for centuries. According to the Animal Welfare Institute, “whale species sequester nearly 29,000 tonnes of carbon per year,” This number has decreased by 9.1 million tonnes in recent years due to increases in commercial whaling. Whale carcasses also play a huge role in providing nutrients to deeper parts of the ocean. Due to declining populations, various deep sea organisms have gone extinct, spelling disaster for the ocean's biosphere.