Meish Goldish - Rights for Right Whales

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Giants in the Sea

Right whales are hugeup to 50 feet long. Thats about as long as 10 grownups lying in a line. Right whales can weigh as much as 750 grownups, or 120,000 pounds.

Right whales live in the Atlantic Ocean. They are mostly black, but sometimes they have white patches on their bellies.

Most of the time, right whales live in the northern part of the ocean in the waters near Maine, Massachusetts, and Canada. They like the cold water there.

When its time to give birth, the whales head south, where the water is warmer. They have their babies off the coast of Florida or Georgia.

Lamp lighters put whale oil into lamps like this. Then they would light the oil, and the lamps would light the streets.

Hunting Right Whales

For hundreds of years, right whales were hunted for the oil that came from their fat, or blubber. People used the oil in their lamps. They also used the whale oil to make candles and perfume.

Bony plate called baleen

Hunters also killed right whales for their baleen. Baleen is a set of bony plates that whales have instead of teeth. Whales use baleen to strain their food from the ocean water.

Whale hunters used long spears called harpoons to kill the whales.

Over the years, hunters killed off thousands of right whales until there were very few of them left. They were in danger of becoming extinct, or dying out.

In 1935, the U.S. government passed a law that said Americans could not hunt right whales anymore. They could not buy or sell products made from whale oil or baleen.

This law still stands today, but the number of right whales hasnt gotten much bigger. Thats because right whales now face other problems.

Right Whales Today

Today, many ships travel on the ocean, carrying goods and passengers from place to place. The ships sail in waters where the right whales live. Every year, some ships hit whales by accident. The whales are badly hurt, and some of them die.

People in the United States are trying to stop whales from getting hit. The Coast Guard teaches ship captains where the whales swim. The ship captains get a map of whale routes so they can keep away from the whales. There is also a law that says boats must stay at least 500 yards from right whales.

This fishing boat is using a fishing net.

Another problem for right whales is the fishing business. People spread giant nets in the ocean to catch tuna and other sea creatures. They dont want to catch whales, but sometimes whales get tangled in the nets. Whales get hurt and, if they cant get out of the nets, they die.

This person is making sure the net is not tangled.

Many people are working to solve the problem of the fishing nets. They go out in boats to rescue tangled whales. Some people are also working on a new kind of net that wont tangle up the whales.

Water pollution is another problem for right whales. Long ago, the oceans were clean, but today, the water is not as clean. Factories dump oil, gas, and other trash in the ocean. Whales can get sick from the dirty water.

People around the world are working to clean up the oceans. The U.S. government has passed new laws to protect our oceans. Now, factories arent allowed to dump their trash in the water.

You can help the whales. Never throw trash in a river or an ocean. If you see trash at a beach, pick it up. Throw away bags, bottles, and other garbage in the proper place. If you dont, it may get washed out to sea.

Table of Contents

Learning Connection

Talk About It Discuss the following questions. Use examples from the book to support responses.

Why do you think right whales swim near Georgia and Florida to have their babies?

What are some of the problems facing right whales today?

Which Whale? With your family research different whales at the library or online. See if you can find out if any whales have been in books or movies. Then discuss which whale is everyones favorite and why.

Vocabulary Practice these words by using them in sentences and talking about how they relate to this book.

weigh

head

blubber

set

stands

face

problems

accident

creatures

pollution

Congratulations! You have checked out a book that is part of the Highlights Activity Bingo program. This program includes stories, puzzles, games, and other fun activities. When you finish the book, click or tap BINGO for more fun!