JACKSONVILLE, Florida. – There are less than 350 North Atlantic right whales left on earth, and they are dying faster than they can reproduce.
This is the subject of a recently released documentary titled “The Last of the Right Whales”.
The filmmakers have obtained special permits from US and Canadian environmental agencies to document why the species is dying so quickly and what can be done to reverse the trend.
News4JAX reported several recent sightings off the coasts of northeast Florida and southeast Georgia as the whale’s pupping season began late last year.
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Right whales are federally protected due to the dangerously low population of the species.
The film’s director and producer, Nadine Pequeneza, told News4JAX that she hopes the film project will raise the level of urgency among the general public and spur action.
“Even in the time it took us to make the movie 34 whales died,” Pequeneza said. “Ten percent of the population was lost. We finished filming in July last year, and the number keeps growing. So this animal is dying at a faster rate than it can reproduce and that means extinction unless we change that trajectory.
The film opens Wednesday night at the Sun-Ray Theater in Riverside. Show time is at 6:30 p.m.
Watch the trailer here
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