The eastern North Pacific population is estimated to number around 31 individuals. Today, the North Pacific right whale is divided into two populations: eastern and western. In 1970, the North Pacific right whale was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Then, during the 1960s, illegal Soviet whaling took more than 770 whales, bringing them to the brink of extinction. After whaling ended, the population began to recover. They were the “right” whales to hunt.Įxtensive whaling in the early 19th and 20th centuries decimated the North Pacific right whale population. But whalers gave them their name for a reason: right whales are slow, rich in oil, and they float when killed.
Right whales once ranged across the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska in abundance. Credit: International Whaling Commission. “Phoenix,” the first juvenile North Pacific right whale sighted in Alaska waters since 2005. It’s the biggest sign of hope we have that there is at least one female still reproducing out there- that this population may yet have the ability to recover.” “But discovering the juvenile was the best news. In a population numbering in the dozens, that is remarkable,” said Crance. “Through these collaborative studies, we found 15 unique whales. At least four of these were documented for the first time, and one was determined to be a juvenile. Over the two summers, the team photographed and identified a total of 15 individual North Pacific right whales. Scientists led by Koji Matsuoka of Japan’s Institute of Cetacean Research used a combination of passive acoustics and visual surveying to detect and locate right whales. What they found raises hope and contributes invaluable knowledge for the conservation and recovery of the little-understood, critically endangered eastern North Pacific right whale.ĭuring the summers of 20, the International Whaling Commission’s Pacific Ocean Whale and Ecosystem Research (IWC-POWER) cruises systematically surveyed remote Alaska waters. It's clear that there's plenty for Xbox Game Pass subscribers to look forward to in December, but fans can check out the games newly added on November 30 in the meantime.In 2017, NOAA Fisheries scientist Jessica Crance joined an international team to search for one of the world’s rarest large whales. December 2021 brings with it the launch of Halo Infinite's campaign, not to mention the Xbox debut of Among Us and the release of day one game The Gunk. In the meantime, there's even more for Xbox Game Pass subscribers to look forward to next month. Anyone interested can try Mind Scanners through Xbox Game Pass now.
The game has drawn comparisons to Papers, Please, but has a cyberpunk aesthetic.
Generation Zero originally released in 2019 and had some pretty negative reviews upon its release, but the game's Xbox Game Pass debut comes alongside a fresh update that should make it a bit more appealing.Īnd finally, Mind Scanners is a day one Xbox Game Pass game that like Evil Genius 2, previously released for PC. Developed by Avalanche Studio, the studio behind the Just Cause games, Generation Zero is a 4-player co-op first-person shooter survival game. Generation Zero, meanwhile, is quite a different beast. Xbox Game Pass New Games for November 30, 2021
Evil Genius 2 earned mostly positive reviews with its PC release, but its now available on consoles as a day one Xbox Game Pass. In their role as a criminal mastermind, players have to construct their own base and attempt to build a doomsday device. RELATED: Xbox Game Pass Confirms New Game for December 2021įor those who may be unfamiliar with the games, Evil Genius 2 is a real-time strategy/simulation game where players on the role of a James Bond-esque supervillain. Generation Zero, however, had no prior announcement, and so its addition to the Xbox Game Pass lineup has come as a surprise for fans. Evil Genius 2 was confirmed for Xbox Game Pass weeks in advance, while Mind Scanners was announced just a week ago. Microsoft is making sure that November ends with a bang for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, as it's added three more games for players to check out, including a surprise bonus game that was not announced in advance.Īs of November 30, Xbox Game Pass subscribers across the cloud, console, and PC can check out Evil Genius 2: World Domination, Generation Zero, and Mind Scanners. The Xbox Game Pass subscription service had an especially strong month in November 2021, with the service adding the likes of Forza Horizon 5 and the next-gen version of Skyrim: Special Edition to the lineup.