PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — In a significant turnaround, one of the world’s most endangered whale species is showing promising signs of recovery, thanks to intensified conservation efforts, scientists report.

Researchers from the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium revealed on Tuesday that the North Atlantic right whale population has risen to approximately 384 individuals, marking an increase of eight from the previous year. This uptick contributes to a gradual upward trend over the past four years.

This positive shift offers a glimmer of hope following a concerning 25% decline between 2010 and 2020. The whales have been particularly threatened by ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements during that period.

Philip Hamilton, a senior scientist at the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, emphasized that the whale’s rebound highlights the critical role of conservation strategies. The center, in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, plays a pivotal role in assessing these population figures.

Efforts in Canada, particularly new management strategies designed to protect the whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, have been instrumental in this gradual recovery, Hamilton noted.

“We know that a modest increase every year, if we can sustain it, will lead to population growth,” Hamilton said. “It’s just whether or not we can sustain it.”

Scientists have cautioned in recent years that the whale’s slow recovery is happening at a time when the giant animals still face threats from accidental deaths, and that stronger conservation measures are needed. But there are also reasons to believe the whales are turning a corner in terms of low reproduction numbers, Hamilton said.

The whales are less likely to reproduce when they have suffered injuries or are underfed, scientists have said. That has emerged as a problem for the whale because they aren’t producing enough babies to sustain their population, they’ve said.

However, this year four mother whales had calves for the first time, Hamilton said. And some other, established mother whales had shorter intervals between calves, he said.

In total, 11 calves were born, which is less than researchers had hoped for, but the entry of new females into the reproductive pool is encouraging, Hamilton said.

And any number of calves is helpful in a year of no mortalities, said Heather Pettis, who leads the right whale research program at Cabot Center and chairs the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium

“The slight increase in the population estimate, coupled with no detected mortalities and fewer detected injuries than in the last several years, leaves us cautiously optimistic about the future of North Atlantic right whales,” Pettis said. ”What we’ve seen before is this population can turn on a dime.”

The whales were hunted to the brink of extinction during the era of commercial whaling. They have been federally protected for decades.

The whales migrate every year from calving grounds off Florida and Georgia to feeding grounds off New England and Canada. Some scientists have said the warming of the ocean has made that journey more dangerous because the whales have had to stray from established protected areas in search of food.