VOA慢速英语--野生动物专家对露脊鲸的数量表示担忧

Wildlife Experts Worry About Lack of Newborn Right Whales

Wildlife researchers in Georgia and Florida are concerned about the population of endangered whales. The winter birthing season just ended, but no newborn sightings have been reported.

There are currently an estimated 450 North Atlantic right whales.

Since December, researchers have been looking for newborns off the coasts of Georgia and Florida. Each winter, pregnant female whales migrate to the area to give birth in warmer waters, usually from December to late March.

Barb¹ Zoodsma oversees² the right whale recovery program for the National Marine³ Fisheries Service in the southeastern United States.

“It’s a pivotal moment for right whales,” Zoodsma said. “If we don’t get serious and figure this out, it very well could be the beginning of the end.”

Last year, the number of right whale deaths was greater than the number of births. In the U.S. and Canada, there were 17 right whale deaths recorded, while only five right whale births were reported.

Research on the whales have found that most female right whales are only living only to half their expected years. Research on the whales that gave birth last year showed that they were having babies for the first time in seven or eight years. That is more than double the usual time between pregnancies⁴.

Philip Hamilton is a scientist at the New England Aquarium⁵ in Boston. Hamilton has studied right whales for 30 years.

He said, “Following a year of such high mortality, it’s clear the population can’t sustain that trajectory⁶.”

This is why researchers are saying more needs to be done to protect the species.

In January, conservationists like the Defenders⁷ of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity took legal action against the U.S. government. They argued that it failed to protect right whales as ordered by the Endangered Species Act. The Center called for more restrictions⁸ on the fishing industry.

Philip Hamilton suggests that placing speed restrictions on ships in certain areas will help protect the whales further.

“It all has to happen quickly,” he said. “We can’t handle waiting 10 or 20 years.”

Examinations of the 17 bodies showed that a ship had hit at least four of the right whales. Another two of the deaths were caused by fishing gear entanglement⁹.

As a result, some fishermen are testing equipment designed to bring traps to the surface. Others are experimenting with equipment that will prevent large whales from being trapped in the first place.

Net trapping is not always deadly. But, scientists suspect that a trapping incident causes emotional effects that could harm a pregnancy¹⁰.

Nonetheless, there is still hope for the right whale population.

As the whales return to their feeding areas this spring, scientists plan on looking for newborn stragglers.

Charles “Stormy” Mayo is a right whale researcher in Provincetown, Massachusetts at the Center for Coastal¹¹ Studies. Mayo remains¹² hopeful about the possibility that right whale babies were born this season a little further north, as far up as Virginia’s coast.

In Cape¹³ Cod¹⁴ Bay last year, two calves¹⁵ were seen that had not been seen earlier in the south.

It is also possible that after a light birthing season this year, a baby boom could happen next year. This has been happened before. In 2000, only one newborn birth occurred while the following year there were 31 births.

Zoodsma said, “I do think we can turn this around. But it’s sort of like, what’s our willpower to do so? This is a time for all hands on deck.”

I'm Rachel Dennis.

Words in This Story

endangered - adj. used to describe a type of animal or plant that has become very rare and that could die out completely

pivotal - adj. very important?

figure (something) out - phrasal verb. to understand or find (something, such as a reason or a solution) by thinking?

mortality - n. the quality or state of being a person or thing that is alive and therefore certain to die : the quality or state of being mortal

sustain - v. to provide what is needed for (something or someone) to exist, continue, etc.

trajectory - n. used to describe a process of change or development that leads toward a particular result

migrate – v. to move from one place to live or work in another

straggler - n. : a person or animal that moves slower than others and becomes separated from them

calf¹⁶ - n. the young of various other large animals (such as the elephant or whale)

baby boom – expression. a time when there is a great increase in the number of babies born

all hands on deck – idiom. used to say that everyone is needed to help in a given situation

1 barb   

n.（鱼钩等的）倒钩，倒刺

参考例句：

• The barb of his wit made us wince.他那锋芒毕露的机智使我们退避三舍。
• A fish hook has a barb to prevent the fish from escaping after being hooked.鱼钩上都有一个倒钩以防上了钩的鱼逃走。

2 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

3 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

4 pregnancies   

怀孕，妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象，战时人口正该补充。
• She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。

5 aquarium   

n.水族馆，养鱼池，玻璃缸

参考例句：

• The first time I saw seals was in an aquarium.我第一次看见海豹是在水族馆里。
• I'm going to the aquarium with my parents this Sunday.这个星期天，我要和父母一起到水族馆去。

6 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。

7 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

9 entanglement   

n.纠缠，牵累

参考例句：

• This entanglement made Carrie anxious for a change of some sort.这种纠葛弄得嘉莉急于改变一下。
• There is some uncertainty about this entanglement with the city treasurer which you say exists.对于你所说的与市财政局长之间的纠葛,大家有些疑惑。

10 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

11 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

12 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

13 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

14 cod   

n.鳕鱼；v.愚弄；哄骗

参考例句：

• They salt down cod for winter use.他们腌鳕鱼留着冬天吃。
• Cod are found in the North Atlantic and the North Sea.北大西洋和北海有鳕鱼。

15 calves   

n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子，腓；腿肚子( calf的名词复数 )；牛犊；腓；小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 )；（冰川）崩解；生（小牛等），产（犊）；使（冰川）崩解

参考例句：

• a cow suckling her calves 给小牛吃奶的母牛
• The calves are grazed intensively during their first season. 小牛在生长的第一季里集中喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 calf   

n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮

参考例句：

• The cow slinked its calf.那头母牛早产了一头小牛犊。
• The calf blared for its mother.牛犊哞哞地高声叫喊找妈妈。