Researchers have spotted 21 North Atlantic right whale calves off the Southeastern coast in recent months, a glimmer of hope for the severely endangered species.
“We’re excited,” said Jessica Thompson, a senior wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. “We have hope that as long as other protections … are in place that these whales will continue to reproduce and give birth to calves and be able to recover.”
The number of mother-calf pairs is the largest identified in 15 years, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries. The right whale calving season starts in the middle of November and runs through the middle of April, which means there’s a chance more could be seen.
The number of females and calves is critical. There are roughly 380 right whales remaining, and just 70 of those are females that can actively reproduce. The species also has been experiencing what scientists call an “unusual mortality event” since 2017. This means 20% of its population is sick, injured or killed every year.
State wildlife officials in Georgia and Florida have teamed up for more than two decades to survey the right whales — mostly females — as they migrate to the Southeastern U.S. coast from Canada during the winter months. Here, mothers give birth to their calves in waters that stretch from North Carolina to near Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The core calving grounds are in Georgia, however, around Savannah, Brunswick and points south, wildlife officials have said.
The North Atlantic right whale, Latin name Eubalaena glacialis, is one of three species of the lumbering giants. They can grow to more than 50 feet in length. They were hunted to the brink of extinction in the late 19th century and got their name from whalers who called them the “right” whale to hunt.
Today, boat strikes and commercial fishing gear present significant risks to the mammals.
Credit: Special
Credit: Special
Thompson said this calving season has given researchers more reasons to be optimistic.
Many of the moms gave birth to other calves three or four years ago. Researchers consider this to be a more natural reproductive cycle instead of the seven to 10 years, which had become the new normal.
The shorter, more typical interval between births indicates that the whales are finding the food they need after giving birth and nursing their calf, she said.
A combination of reasons has likely led to the longer time between reproducing, said Amy Warren, a scientist in the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium.
Environmental and human threats have caused the whales to not be as healthy and as fat, she said. What’s more, vessel strikes are the leading cause of death of these whales, and more than 85% of right whales have been entangled in fishing gear over their lifespan.
Now, warming waters caused by climate change have also created new threats, including a reduction or change in their food sources. Many are traveling farther to find new food sources.
“There’s always a question of whether they are getting enough food,” Warren said.
An aerial survey team of South Carolina wildlife officials have spotted groups of seven or eight whales socializing, something that hasn’t happened in a while, Thompson of Georgia DNR said. Officials also have spotted what some lovingly refer to as “playdates” of two or three mom-calf pairs.
In some cases, they have documented a so-called “calf swap,” where two moms went off with separate calves after socializing for a day but then retrieved their own calf a week later.
“It’s only been documented infrequently,” she said. “We don’t know why it happens.”
It’s also too early to tell if the increase in number of whales socializing and other typical behaviors will continue or the reasons behind it, she said. In short, scientists need more data to determine why.
“It’s a welcome change to see the adults come down here,” she said.
Thompson and other scientists continue to urge boaters to be vigilant when they are in the ocean and learn to identify the right whales and steer clear of them. The heavily trafficked Port of Savannah, as well as people from the Northeast traveling down in large yachts, also provide trouble for the species.
“The more people that are aware of these amazing whales and that these are their only known calving grounds, then we can protect them in their critical habitat,” she said.
A note of disclosure
This coverage is supported by a partnership with Green South Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners. You can learn more and support our climate reporting by donating at AJC.com/donate/climate.
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