Search for Dying Entangled Right Whale Snow Cone Continues as Hope Runs Out

The search for the dying entangled right whale called Snow Cone is continuing as hope for her survival runs out.

The endangered North Atlantic right whale was spotted swimming off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts on September 22 by New England Aquarium scientists, emaciated and covered in lice.

Snow Cone's problem first came to light when she was spotted in March 2021, entangled in huge amounts of fishing lines. A few feet of the rope, which was embedded deeply under her jaw, was removed by rescue teams at the time. But it was difficult to remove the entire rope.

When spotted on September 22, she was carrying even more layers of fishing gear with her.

Rescue efforts have been stalled due to Storm Fiona, which is causing severe weather conditions in the area where she was spotted.

A spokesperson for the New England Aquarium told Newsweek that the Center for Coastal Studies' Marine Animal Entanglement Response team was "evaluating potential next steps."

"Disentangling a whale is challenging, dangerous, and weather dependent. The Center was unable to reach Snow Cone the day our researchers spotted her, and to our knowledge, she has not been sighted since our aerial survey team came upon her last week," the spokesperson said.

On a Facebook post, the Center for Coastal Studies said they were continuing to track the weather conditions on the Nantucket Shoals, in order to search for the whale.

Snow Cone's situation is of particular urgency as right whales are approaching extinction, with fewer than 350 remaining, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). There may be fewer than 100 breeding females.

It is not uncommon for members of the species to become entangled in fishing gear.

But when Snow Cone was last spotted on September 22, scientists suspected her death was all but certain.

Heather Pettis, a research scientist at the Aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, said in a press release that the "deterioration and suffering that she has experienced is inexcusable."

Research assistant Sharon Hsu, who was part of the team documenting the sighting, said 18 months ago that there had been hope of freeing the whale, but after this recent sighting, there was "no longer hope for her survival."

"She was moving so slowly, she couldn't dive, she just sunk. She's suffering," Hsu said.

Snow Cone made national headlines in December 2021 when she was seen with a newborn calf. Due to the severity of her entanglement, researchers thought it incredibly unlikely that she could give birth or keep a calf alive. Her calf has not been seen for months.

"Snow Cone is not alone in her experience. More than 86% of right whales have experienced at least one and some individuals as many as eight entanglements, and the severity of these events has increased over time," Pettis said in a press release. "The survival of this species demands that swift and broad actions be taken to prevent these events throughout their range."