This Jan. 19, 2021 photo provided by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources shows a North Atlantic right whale mother and calf in waters near Wassaw Island, Ga. A scientist who studies the endangered North Atlantic right whales is cautiously optimistic after nine calves were spotted this season in the waters along the eastern coast.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Georgia Department of Natural Resources/NOAA Permit #20556 via AP
FREDERICTON – A scientist who studies the endangered North Atlantic right whale is cautiously optimistic about the current breeding season after nine calves were spotted during its first few weeks.
Moira Brown, senior scientist with the Canadian Whale Institute, says fewer than 100 of the 340 surviving animals in the waters along Canada’s eastern coast are mothers and describes the new baby whales as a sign of hope for the future.
The calving season for North Atlantic right whales starts in mid-November and runs through mid-April.
Last year saw only 15 calves, far below the average of 24 reported in the early 2000s. Brown says there were also no first-time mothers, which supports research showing a downward trend in the number of females capable of breeding.
She says the interval between one birth and another is usually three to five years, but more recently scientists have seen that window expand to between seven and 10 years.
She says the North Atlantic right whales have to contend with several pressures including ship strikes, entanglements and a lack of food because of warming waters, which could be affecting reproduction.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 2, 2023.
