Tag Archives: right whale calf

Sixth Right Whale Calf is Sighted

Right whale calf number No. 6 was born off Cumberland Island on Dec. 28, 2023. Halo is a 19-year-old mother of three known calves. Her last calf was born in 2020. Halo has three siblings and five nieces/nephews, all of whom have been entangled on more than one occasion. Halo has callosities behind her blow hole which look as if she wears a halo. Halo’s sister Calamari – #3946 and her son Jagger #5046 both received their names just this year. Halo’s nephew, Kingfisher was entangled eight times in his short life. The last entanglement included a rope around his flipper which persisted until his last sighting in 2015. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Halo is known to enjoy the shoreline of Florida beaches. Halo and her calves have been spotted from shore on many occasions. more, >>click to read<< 06:56

Whale deaths in NC and along the East Coast have officials searching for answers

On Jan. 7, a critically endangered North Atlantic right whale calf was found dead, wedged under a pier in Morehead City. In the previous month, three humpback whales washed up on beaches between Beaufort and the northern Outer Banks. The four North Carolina deaths are part of at least 14 whales that have washed up on East Coast beaches since Dec. 1. Federal officials, scientists and conservation groups have said there could be multiple factors contributing to the rise in whale strandings, including an increase in the population of the Western North Atlantic humpback whales. But one idea that’s gained traction online and among some coastal residents and politicians is that huge offshore wind farms planned off many East Coast states, including North Carolina, could be harming the marine mammals. >click to read< 08:46

Planes can’t find entangled whale in search Wednesday

Planes and boats searched the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Wednesday, looking for a young North Atlantic right whale entangled in rope and other gear.  An airplane saw the calf of a right whale known as 3720 last weekend, 48 nautical miles east of Shippagan, trailing fishing rope and buoys. The Department of Fisheries said at the time that it wasn’t known how long the yearling had been entangled. Whale expert Philip Hamilton of the New England Aquarium said lots of challenges come with finding a whale such as this one, which had previously last been spotted in March off Provincetown, Mass. (Where is the photo of the calf wrapped in fishing gear the plane didn’t take?!!) >click to read< 12:23

Lucky number 7: Seventh right whale calf spotted off Atlantic coast

One by one, the critically endangered right whales here for this winter’s calving season are delivering new babies that raise optimism among whale researchers. A seventh North Atlantic right whale calf was confirmed this weekend off the Georgia coast, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries. “Every calf that gets us closer to 10 or a dozen is very encouraging,” said Jim Hain, senior scientist and project coordinator for the Marineland Right Whale Project. The newest mom is Pico, or No. 3270. She’s a 17-year-old whale whose last known calf was born in 2011. >click to read<20:48