First North Atlantic Right Whale Calf of 2018-2019 Season Sighted Off Florida
December 29, 2018

The first picture of the calf of North Atlantic right whale #2791 has been released! The head of the calf can be seen on the left and one of the flippers or part of the tail of the mother can be seen on the right.
credit: Chad Leedy, Coastwise Consulting

North Atlantic right whale #2791 swimming off the coast of Georgia just days before giving birth
credit: Sea to Shore Alliance, taken under NOAA permit #20556

The first North Atlantic right whale calf of the 2018-2019 season has been sighted off the coast of Florida! The mother, North Atlantic right whale #2791, was seen swimming north with her calf near the St. Johns River entrance off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida on December 28, 2018 by endangered species observers with Coastwise Consulting, a National Marine Fisheries Service-approved observer. #2791 was seen just 5 days ago off the coast of Georgia, one of five female right whales seen off their coast this December. #2791's mother and birth year are unknown but she was first seen on August 10, 1997 in the Bay of Fundy off Nova Scotia - the area she is seen in the most - and the last time she was seen before her Georgia sighting 5 days ago was on October 3, 2017 in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada.

Her calf is the first North Atlantic right whale born since 2017 - only five calves were seen that year and during the early 2018 calving season there no calves seen, a devastating blow to this highly endangered species. There were an estimated 451 North Atlantic right whales in 2016 and the most recent estimate was 408 (411 at the end of 2017 with three known deaths this year) but now it's up to 409 with this birth. There are no pictures of the calf that have been released yet but whale watching groups, state wildlife agencies and whale researchers are on alert and should hopefully be able to get pictures of the calf soon.

We are hoping that #2791 is only the first of many right whales to give birth this year and add new life to this population that is under such serious threat and has faced such immense struggles over the years. There have been 24 known deaths since 2016 so every calf is not only precious in their own right - they're crucial to the survival of the species. We’re celebrating the news of this birth but are also reminded of the dangers ahead for this calf and how we must make the oceans safe again for these whales. They keep fighting hard to survive and they will - as long as we keep them safe from our fellow humans.

Sources:

Scientists Spot First Right Whale Calf of the Season - Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life - 12/31/2018

Right whale watchers rejoice as calf spotted off Jacksonville coast - The Daytona Beach News-Journal - 12/28/2018

FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute - Facebook - 12/28/2018