Third pair of right whale mother and calf spotted
A North Atlantic right whale mother and calf were seen off Hilton Head, South Carolina last weekend, according to the New England Aquarium. This marks the third calf of the right whale calving season, with a mother and calf seen off Cumberland Island, Georgia on Dec. 4 and a third off Vilano Beach, Florida on Dec. 7.
The right whale is the most endangered great whale in the world. Its population estimate dropped below 400 to 355 following a disastrous string of deaths in recent years. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported only 22 calves born from 2017 to Nov. 2020, with 31 mortalities over that same period.
Being hit by ships was once the leading cause of death but that has changed, with entanglements causing 85% of mortalities between 2010 and 2015.
Whale researchers are concerned about the reproductive capability of the relatively small number of females — fewer than 100 — left to save the species. They took the birth of three calves as a positive trend in an otherwise alarming year of bad news.
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