Right Whale Update -- 2020

Very sad news to report. NOAA‘s  partner, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, spotted the 4th right whale calf of the season about 8 nautical miles off Georgia. Unfortunately the young whale has already been injured by what looks to be a propeller.

The injuries are concerning because of the severity and location of the wounds. One of the injuries appears to include damage to the calf's mouth which could hamper its ability to nurse and feed. Biologists estimate the newborn is just days old and the wounds were perhaps hours old. 

The Mom is #2360, 'Derecha,' which means "right" in Spanish. Experts say the calf's two roughly parallel and s-shaped injuries were consistent with the propeller of a vessel.

Teams with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (Wildlife Resources Division - Georgia DNR) and Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research (Clearwater Marine Aquarium) are out attempting (by air and sea) to try and find the mom/calf pair in order to assess the calf's condition.

The protection of these animals is literally in the hands of all mariners on the water and all businesses that service those vessels

NOAA is asking anyone with information regarding the calf's injuries and additional sightings to contact 1-877-WHALE-HELP (1-877-942-5343). The vessel that struck the animal may likely have propeller damage.

NOAA urges everyone to please give these animals their space. Mom/calf pairs spend the majority of their time at, or a few feet below the water's surface in the Southeast U.S. This is a critical and vulnerable time for right whale moms to bond with their calves - law requires staying away at least 500 yards by air (including drones) and by sea. . .

Derecha was first seen in December 1993. She is at least 27 years old. This is her 4th calf - she last gave birth in 2010.

Please remain alert, stay educated, and choose wisely how you operate your boat while traveling through a whale neonatal center

Click here for an article on the 2020 Right Whale calving season.

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Right Whale Update - 2019

Seven rare right whale calves were spotted during the 2019 winter
birthing season off Florida's Atlantic coast.

Researchers say each new calf spotted this year is an encouraging sign
for the critically endangered whales. No newborns were spotted during
the 2018 calving season, and just five calves were counted during the
previous year.

Scientists estimate less than 400 North Atlantic right whales remain.
Right whales need to deliver 16 to 18 calves a year just to maintain
their current population.

Right whales typically migrate from the North Atlantic to give birth
off the coasts of Georgia and Florida from December through March.

In 2018, the Nassau County Sierra Club established a right whale
subcommittee called the Amelia Island Right Whale Action Group
(AIRWAG) to help raise local awareness of this gentle species that is
so critically endangered. For more detailed information you can
contact Julie Ferreira at 904-583-4388 or Candis Whitney at
904-759-0802.

Thank you very much in advance for your interest in participating with us!

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Right Whale Update - 2018

Seven rare right whale calves have been spotted so far this winter off Florida's Atlantic coast.

Researchers say each new calf spotted this year is an encouraging sign for the critically endangered whales. No newborns were spotted during the last calving season, and just five calves were counted during the previous year.

Right whales typically migrate from the North Atlantic to give birth off the coasts of Georgia and Florida from December through March.

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