Whale Week Is Back to Raise Awareness About the Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale.
Whale Week in Savannah is taking place November 13-15 with a series of engaging online and in-person events to inform the public about the plight of Georgia’s state marine mammal, the North Atlantic Right Whale.
The seed for Whale Week was planted a few years ago when ocean conservationist and scientist Paulita Bennett-Martin was speaking with some colleagues at a Savannah coffee shop. Since that initial conversation, Whale Week, now in its fifth year, has grown into a five-day event raising awareness and advocating for the endangered species.
“Whale Week is an opportunity for the city of Savannah to celebrate North Atlantic Right Whales. . . The aim is to build this corridor of consciousness around [their] plight,” said Hermina Glass-Hill, Whale Week’s volunteer program director and field representative at Oceana, which is the world’s largest ocean conservation nonprofit.
The North Atlantic Right Whales travel every winter from the Canadian coast down to the southeastern waters near Florida and Georgia. They come to the warmer waters to birth and nurse their calves. Unfortunately, with less than 350 whales in oceans today, North Atlantic Right Whales are in danger of extinction, largely due to human activity.
“They are being threatened by human causes that can be reversed. Number one is entanglement in fishing and lobster lines. [Another threat is] collisions with commercial ships and recreational boaters that are speeding too fast.” said Glass-Hill.
Whale Week is designed to help raise awareness about these endangered whales through public engagement. For the last two years, Whale Week has been virtual due to Covid. But this year, Whale Week is back with a few in-person events in addition to some online happenings.
The Whale Week organizers have connected with community organizations to produce this year’s events. Partnerships include the Tybee Island Marine Science Center and the City of Savannah Cultural Affairs, which provided grant funding to make Whale Week possible.
“We’re certainly looking forward to the partnership that we have with the Tybee Island Marine Science Center. They have a 21-foot inflatable North Atlantic Right Whale named Smoke, and Smoke is going to visit young scholars and local public schools. . . We’re really excited about local Savannah-Chatham county scholars getting to know and learning about North Atlantic Right Whales because they are the generation that’s going to save this whale,” she explained.
There will be events for individuals of all ages, and with the exception of the school programs, all of the events are free and open to the public.
“We’re also really excited about the diversity of voices that are participating in Whale Week this year. We have an artist in Mexico who’s produced a film about whales and . . . environmental justice, tying in historic events as it relates to black people,” said Glass-Hill. “We’re also really excited about our Women and Whales event. Women scientists, artists, writers and conservationists will join together for a Facebook Live and talk about their experiences from an indigenous perspective,” she continued.
In addition to these events, there will also be screenings of the “Last of the Right Whales” documentary, a Whale Week Family Night at Juliette Low Elementary and more. Glass-Hill encourages everyone to come out and attend Whale Week to rally the community around this important cause.
“Right whales need all the help they can get in terms of protection. It doesn’t matter what your race is, [nor] your gender. None of that matters. If you have a voice and you can speak up for the whales, that’s terribly needed. So whether you’re an influencer or a policy maker, all of our voices joined together will wake up the folks in Washington, D.C. and in the Georgia state house to understand that this is another species on our planet that needs to be protected,” she expressed.
Attending Whale Week events is just one half of the equation. Advocacy is even more important. Glass-Hill hopes that the public will be motivated to take action after learning about the North Atlantic Right Whales’ struggle for survival.
“I would like for the public to reach out to our senators. . . Write letters to their offices explaining that they would like more protection for and research on North Atlantic Right Whales. Also ask them to sign on to the Right Whale Coexistence Act, which is a piece of legislation currently in Congress,” she said.
In all, Glass-Hill and the Whale Week team appreciate the support they’ve received through the years to produce Whale Week and keep it going.
“We are really grateful to the public and to all of our partners who have been supportive of the work we’ve been doing over the years,” she stated.
To learn more about Whale Week and this year’s events, visit whaleweek.org
