In the deep blue waters that drop off from the white sand beaches of the Florida panhandle, one of the world's rarest animals struggles for survival. At over 40 feet long and 60,000 pounds, the critically endangered Rice's whale has taken refuge here from the chaos of the modern Gulf of Mexico. For many of us who want to share our planet with its magnificent wild creatures, the whale offers an opportunity to make a difference.
For me, that drive to make a difference comes in part from a loss in my childhood. As a young boy growing up near the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, in late winter, every year, my grandfather took me fishing for the yellow perch that made their annual spawning run up a winding tidal creek a few miles from my home. In a leafless forest of brown and gray, under a dark winter sky, the perch's light yellow body with contrasting vertical bands of olive green brought a vibrant splash of warmth and color.
But in just a few short years, the run of perch was no more—done in by polluted runoff from development and acid rain from fossil fuel power plants. In that experience, I shifted from being a student of nature, studying, examining, and exploring, to an advocate for its protection. I was too young to do anything about the yellow perch, but I can do something about the Rice's whale.
Today I have the honor of carrying out that advocacy work for Healthy Gulf. This small but mighty nonprofit organization works to protect the Gulf of Mexico and the waterways and communities along its shores. Our founding came over 25 years ago in a weekend retreat of conservationists who gathered in Florida's historic Four Mile Village near Destin to discuss the problems facing the Gulf and what to do about it. From that was born a new organization that would work to educate, advocate and protect beaches, waterways, marine life, and ultimately, the people of the Gulf coast.
My colleagues and I work to cover it all, from the Florida Everglades to the emerald green waters of northwest Florida, west to the fertile Mississippi River delta, and on to the arid south Texas coast. We do what I like to call "science-based advocacy," in that science helps us identify the issues and solutions. From there, we engage with communities, providing help with the research, communication, and organizing tools needed.
The fewer than 50 remaining Rice's whales are threatened by drilling for oil and gas, with its constant noise and pollution in the central and western Gulf, driving the whales to seek refuge in the quietest and cleanest area of the Gulf. To give these whales a chance to survive, we must accelerate the transition to a cleaner and healthier future of renewable energy from the sun and wind that will bring an eventual end to offshore drilling in the Gulf. We are also seeking limits on the speed and operation of ships crossing the whale's habitat, helping them avoid accidentally striking the whales.
To do these things will take support from the people of the Gulf coast—people who care about an animal they will almost certainly never see with their own eyes.
And there is a larger vision in that linkage between nature and people. Because if we can save the Rice's whale, then we can save the Gulf of Mexico. And if we can save the Gulf, we have a chance to protect the people and cultures of the Gulf region fully.
With a staff of 15 headquartered in New Orleans, Healthy Gulf works across all five U.S. Gulf states. Its vision is that of a healthy Gulf of Mexico returned to its former splendor that supports a thriving ecosystem that includes the Gulf's natural resources and, just as importantly, the people, communities, and cultures that depend on those resources.
Facts about Rice's whales
- The Rice's whale lives in the Gulf of Mexico and nowhere else in the world, mainly off the west coast of Florida in waters between 300 and 1,200 feet in depth. The DeSoto Canyon, 60 miles south of Pensacola, is believed to be a favored area for these endangered whales.
- Threats to the survival of the whale include vessel strikes, ocean noise, oil and gas exploration, development and production, oil spills and responses, entanglement in fishing gear, and ocean debris.
- The whales spend most of their time within 50 feet of the surface of the Gulf. They feed by diving hundreds of feet deep, and it is believed they consume schooling fish and crustaceans.
- The Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010 is believed to have killed 22% of the Rice's whale population.
To learn more, visit healthygulf.org.
Originally published in Beach Happy Magazine, Issue 5 (Summer 2021). Story by Christian Wagley. Whale photography courtesy of NOAA.
