Snow Cone, the Entangled Right Whale, Unlikely to Be Seen Alive Again

Snow Cone, the entangled right whale, is unlikely to be seen alive again.

The whale was first spotted by marine biologists in March 2021 off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, entangled in a large amount of fishing gear. The long fishing rope was deeply embedded under her jaw. At the time, rescuers managed to remove hundreds of feet of rope to increase her chances of survival, but freeing her completely was not achieved.

The North Atlantic right whale then made headlines in December 2021 when she gave birth to a "miracle" calf. Researchers thought this was nearly impossible because of the severity of her entanglement. Despite everything, the whale seemed to be in good health.

But more recently, on September 22, scientists from the New England Aquarium spotted her swimming off Massachusetts' Nantucket island, severely emaciated and covered in lice. She was also carrying more fishing gear with her. The gear appears to have physically drained her, as she was moving much more slowly than usual, according to the aquarium in Boston.

Massachusetts' Center for Coastal Studies, which works to untangle whales in Snow Cone's predicament, was unable to initiate a rescue because of the severe weather in the area.

Snow Cone has not been seen since.

Right whales are approaching extinction, and fishing gear poses a major threat to the species. Fewer than 350 individuals remain, and there may be fewer than 100 breeding females, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Scott Landry, who is with the Marine Animal Entanglement Response at the Center for Coastal Studies, told Newsweek that the sea conditions where Snow Cone was last seen are about "13 feet every eight seconds."

"The weather has only continued to worsen, unfortunately. Starting with [Hurricane] Fiona and now the remnants of Ian, we have had zero good weather days to work with. For disentanglement we need quite calm conditions," Landry said.

When scientists saw Snow Cone on September 22, they assumed her death was all but certain. Landry said there is very little chance of sighting her again "dead or alive."

"We do not assume that she has died. Indeed, she could linger on for weeks or months or surprise us entirely," Landry said. "If she has died, her carcass would likely sink quickly and then likely refloat once decomposition sets in.

"Finding her, dead or alive, will be a low-odds task since she is free to roam the North Atlantic. As for any entangled whale, we are always ready to respond," he said.