New England Scientists Encouraged with Discovery of Baby Right Whale | 98.9 WCLZ

A baby North Atlantic right whale, weighing about 15,000 pounds (6,804 kilograms), was identified off Quebec’s Anticosti Island in September after Canadian researchers captured images of an “unidentified” calf. This week, the New England Aquarium in Boston said photo and data analysis indicates it was likely born months earlier and had gone unseen during winter surveys. The finding brings the number of baby right whales detected from the most recent birthing season to 24—the most productive since 2009 and the fourth-highest on record. With only about 380 whales worldwide and a declining population since 2010, researchers say such successful calving is critical. The calf was spotted with its mother, a 38-year-old known as Silt. Scientists note threats including ship collisions and fishing entanglement, worsened as warming oceans shift whales from protected areas.