Right whale that once closed Cape Cod Canal found dead

Another North Atlantic right whale that frequented Cape Cod Bay — and once triggered closure of the canal — has died after months in failing health from a severe fishing gear entanglement, a consequential loss for a species so rare that scientists say each whale plays an irreplaceable role.

Scientists with NOAA Fisheries on Jan. 30 confirmed that the 4-year-old male known as “Division,” listed in the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog as #5217, was found dead off the coast of North Carolina. An aerial survey team from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute in Florida spotted partial remains on Jan. 27 about 25 miles off Avon, North Carolina, surrounded by more than 20 scavenging sharks.

Scientists at the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life said they reviewed the images and confirmed the whale’s identity.

Division was first seen entangled on Dec. 3, 2025 off Jekyll Island, Georgia, with fishing rope wrapped around his head and mouth, cutting into his blowhole and embedded in his upper jaw. He had previously been seen in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canadian waters in July, without the entanglement.

Response teams attempted a partial disentanglement on Dec. 3 and 4, consulting with scientists at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, who have pioneered whale disentanglement methods. But responders were unable to fully remove the complex wrapping.

In the weeks that followed, Division’s health worsened. Although researchers tracked his location, rough weather and his distance from shore prevented trained responders from attempting further disentanglement. Observers last saw him alive on Jan. 21, off Cape Hatteras, according to the New England Aquarium.

“This whale’s death is incredibly upsetting for our team,” said Ryan Schosberg, an aerial observer and researcher with the Center for Coastal Studies’ Right Whale Ecology Program. He added that it “serves as a reminder of the challenges these animals face and the lethal impacts of human activities.”

“Hopefully the many calves being born this year is a sign of better things to come,” he said, referring to the 21 births documented so far this calving season — a number that has not been seen in 15 years.

Schosberg noted that Division was the 2022 calf of “Silt” (#1817), who is seen in Cape Cod Bay most years. “Silt brought (Division) to Cape Cod Bay as a calf, and he had returned to the area each year since,” he said.

Right whale was in Cape Cod Canal in 2023

Division was one of the two young whales who prompted closure of the Cape Cod Canal for a little more than 21 hours in March 2023 — he was the one who entered the canal from the Buzzards Bay side, making it nearly the entire 17.4-mile length of the canal before turning back and reentering Buzzards Bay.

Scientists at the New England Aquarium also weighed in on Division’s loss.

“While this outcome is not a surprise given the severity of the entanglement, it’s still incredibly disheartening to bear witness to the death of a critically endangered right whale,” said Hather Pettis, a senior scientist at the Anderson Cabot Center.

North Atlantic right whales are among the most endangered large whales on Earth, with an estimated population of 384 animals according to the last population study the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium released in October 2025. About 70 are breeding females.

Division is the first detected right whale death since May 2024, according to NOAA. Federal authorities continue to analyze the fishing gear removed from the whale in December in an effort to determine its origin.

Pettis said Division’s case serves "as a stark reminder that human activities remain a clear and present threat to this species.”

Scientists named Division in 2025 for a callosity pattern on his head resembling the mathematical symbol. Division was the youngest of four siblings and, despite his young age, scientists had already documented three previous entanglements.

Leading causes of right whale deaths

Entanglements and vessel strikes continue to rank as the leading causes of serious injury and death for right whales. From 1980 to present, scientists have documented more than 1,900 entanglements affecting 87% of the population, according to the New England Aquarium.

On Jan. 17, rescuers from the Center for Coastal Studies responded to the year's first reported entanglement in Cape Cod Bay — the 2025 calf of right whale matriarch Monarch (#2460), which had been seen just seven days earlier without the entanglement. On Jan. 18 they were able to remove some of the gear, wrapped around the base of the yearling's tail, before the whale sped off. They remained hopeful the rest of the gear would fall off on its own.

Conservation groups responded strongly to Division’s death, emphasizing that each loss carries outsized consequences for the species.

“These deaths are not isolated events — they are symptoms of chronic, preventable threats," said Kathleen Collins, senior campaign manager at the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Research, she added, indicates that mortalities and serious injuries have outpaced births for decades, “and unless we urgently reduce these human‑caused impacts, we risk losing this iconic species forever.”

IFAW has renewed its call for “swift, meaningful action from federal and international partners to strengthen and fully implement protections, including safer fishing practices that eliminate deadly fixed gear and increased investment in on-demand gear technology” — steps the organization insists are essential “not only to prevent further loss of life but to give North Atlantic right whales a real chance to recover.”

Brian Sharp, director of marine mammal rescue at IFAW on Cape Cod, said in Division's case months of effort could not overcome the underlying risk.

“Rescue teams up and down the East Coast worked for months to try to rescue this whale, but the simple fact is that rescue alone is not enough,” he said. “To protect both the species and individuals, we must prevent these entanglements from happening in the first place. The tools exist — we just need the will to use them. Every delay costs lives.”

Researchers and conservationists say serious injuries and deaths can be substantially reduced by broadly adopting ropeless, or on-demand, fishing gear and using weaker ropes. The New England Aquarium team said they continue to work with industry partners, government agencies and fellow researchers to advance fishing practices designed to prevent entanglements.