North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 11
Summary of Status Report
This species is clearly at risk. The greatest foreseeable obstacle to recovery is the rarity of eastern North Pacific right whales. Although there has been very little search effort in Canadian waters, sightings of right whales in adjacent US waters are rare despite considerable survey effort. When found, they are usually as single animals or in small groups. There have been a total of less than 50 individuals found in recent years in the eastern North Pacific, principally in the southeastern Bering Sea. There are no means to calculate the reproductive rate, age structure of the population or accurately assess or even identify limiting factors beyond those associated with critically small population size.