AdvertisementEndangered Right Whales Are Shrinking. Scientists Blame Commercial Fishing GearJune 03, 2021Eve ZuckofffacebookEmailScientists from NOAA Fisheries Service approach a young North Atlantic right whale in order to disentangle it. New research shows whales with severe entanglements in rope and fishing gear are experiencing stunted growth, and body lengths have been decreasing since 1981. (NOAA News Archive 011811)