Are Right Whales Big Business for Nonprofits?

credit: toddbfreese

There are believed to be only 340 North Atlantic right whales left, and they're in danger of dying out before that number is reached.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation estimates there are only about 100 whales left in the wild, and it's putting its money where its mouth is in an attempt to save them.

The foundation, which is a government agency but funded by federal funds, has awarded more than $100 million in grants to dozens of conservation organizations, the Portland Press Herald reports.

The lion's share of that money$99 millionis going to the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, which is made up of dozens of environmental organizations, including the New England Aquarium and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.

But the lion's share of that money is going to corporations, which the Register calls "greenwashing" the whales' plight.

For example, a $5 million three-year grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will fund research into a ropeless fishing alternative that would cause fewer whale entanglements, which are blamed for the whales' dwindling population.

The whales are also at risk from other threats, including climate change, overfishing, and the oil and gas industries, which use them for everything from oil spills to gas drilling, the Register notes.

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