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Preliminary data confirmed by Monica Zani at the
New England Aquarium puts the calf count at eighteen
this season. With an average calving season yielding
about 11 calves, this is great news for the third year in a
row! Last year 22 calves were born, and the 2000-2001
season was a record year with 31 calves. At least 27
individuals have been spotted in addition to the
mother/calf pairs. Six of those 24 are yearlings or twoyear-
olds on their own. There is no telling how long the
trend will continue, but it is a step
in the right direction for the North
Atlantic right whale population!Interestingly enough, three out of the four mothers who are thought to have lost a calf in the 2001 season were spotted in our region again this year, two of them with calves. This is good news considering most moms average about five years between births. The third, Slash, was spotted alone, but there are no updates as to whether she calved later. No whale deaths have been reported to date, but two right whales were spotted in the calving grounds entangled in fishing gear (see story on page 3). There was also 2-year-old #3170 spotted with injuries characteristic of entanglement, although it appears the whale is free of line at this time. The temporary suspension of all survey flights due to the crash of one of the survey planes may hamper accurate whale counts for the season until later in the year. Table of content |
| © 2003 Marine Resources Council of East Florida |