Each year, since 1991, between one and three right whales die or are seriously injured by ships. This may represent only a fraction of whales killed by ships, as many deaths may go unnoticed if the carcass drifts out to sea.
Most ship strikes are fatal.
Right whales either cannot detect or do not perceive on-coming ships as a threat and may make little effort to avoid them. Thus, mariners cannot assume that whales will move out of their path. Mariners may have difficulty in seeing right whales because of their dark color and low profile in the water. Although other large whale species are victims of ship strikes, the behavior of right whales makes them particularly vulnerable to collisions. Right whales swim close to shore and in areas in or adjacent to major shipping lanes.