Mortality and serious injury determinations for baleen whale stocks along the Gulf of Mexico, United States, United States East Coast and Atlantic Canadian Provinces, 2009-2013

Opportunistic reports were used to measure levels of human - caused serious injury and mortality to baleen whale stocks along the United States east coast and Atlantic Canadian Provinces for 2009 through 2013. Whale injury and mortality events were evaluated using criteria for injury severity and for assigning injuries and mortalities to natural or human causes. The average annual human-caused serious injury and mortality rate during the period was 4.55 for North Atlantic right whales, 9.0 for Gulf of Maine humpback whales, 3.55 for Western North Atlantic fin whales, 0.4 for Nova Scotian sei whales, 7.7 for Canadian East Coast minke whales, 0.2 for Northern Gulf of Mexico Bryde's whales, and 0 for Western North Atlantic blue whales. The number of serious injuries and mortalities not reported is unknown, and actual levels may be much higher.