Round-up of 2025 North Atlantic Right Whale News

Although they are expected to live for more than 100 years, North Atlantic right whales don’t reach an average age of more than 22, reports La Presse. Climate change, ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear are all being blamed. Whaling has also exacerbated the problem, in particular by eliminating virtually all older whales, those that pass on the knowledge to younger individuals.

There are now five North Atlantic right whale births this season! The Caterpillar and Blackheart females were spotted with their respective calves off the Florida coast, explains Science et vie. While this is Caterpillar’s first calf, it is Blackheart’s second, her last having been born 12 years ago. The gap between two births increases over the years, rekindling concerns about the conservation of this endangered species.

Thanks to drones, scientists can now capture thermal images of North Atlantic right whales to study them, without disturbing them, reports Radio-Canada. University of New Brunswick researcher Gina Lonati’s doctoral project developed this technology, which enables the temperature of whales to be taken through their blowholes, when they come to the surface to breathe.

Check Mark (#3705) and Grand Teton (#1145), two female North Atlantic right whales, recently gave birth in Florida waters, according to the New England Aquarium. This is Check Mark’s first calf, and Grand Teton’s ninth! The current tally for the 2024-2025 right whale calving season is seven calves.

Funding has been granted to Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, to update a North Atlantic right whale DNA database, announces Radio-Canada. With a DNA sample, scientists are able to identify an animal and trace its family tree, among other things. To date, the DNA of nearly 700 individuals can be found in the database.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is under attack from the Trump administration. An article in Le Devoir  reports budget cuts, a 50% reduction in staff and a halt to international communications. Among other things, the restrictions could have an impact on cooperation between Canada and the United States to protect North Atlantic right whales.

Counting North Atlantic right whales using microphones and machine learning? That’s the idea behind a recent study by scientists at Cornell University, a cheaper and safer way to study this endangered species. To this end, the research team has developed a model capable of detecting right whale sounds up to 86% from audio recordings, reports Phys.org.

Donald Trump’s environmental policies have experts worried about Eastern marine life, reports  Radio-Canada. Among other things, the cancellation or modification of protection measures could threaten the survival of the North Atlantic right whale, an endangered species whose habitat is located in both Canada and the United States.

A calf and its mother North Atlantic right whale were spotted in Cape Cod waters last week, reports Cape Cod Times. The Center for Coastal Studies confirms that this is Nauset (#2413), a 31-year-old female, accompanied by her fifth calf. The pair had been spotted earlier this winter in Georgia. Nauset and her calf join nine other mother-calf pairs observed since the start of this birthing season, bringing the total to 10.

The North Atlantic right whale birthing season has come to an end, but the goal of recovery has still not been reached, explains Robert Michaud, President and Scientific Director of the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM), in an interview with  Radio-Canada. The reproductive success of female right whales has been declining in recent years due to entanglements and collisions, which require a great deal of energy for individuals to survive.

Changes and additions to North Atlantic right whale protection imposed by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans have been greeted with relief by Prince Edward Island lobster fishermen. Due to the short lobster season, restrictions to protect the right whale sometimes meant that fishermen had to close their areas and take out their cages for 15 days at a time. The CBC News article also looks at a pilot project to manufacture safe gear to prevent right whale entanglement.

“This is a game-changer for conservation efforts,” writes the Cape Cod Times. Two buoys have been installed in Cape Cod Bay, a hotspot for North Atlantic right whales, and off Cape Ann, an area they pass through on their way to their summering grounds in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. These devices can detect right whales at a distance of around five miles when there are no ships in the vicinity. There are now 11 of these instruments along the coast as far as Florida. Curious to know where they are? Click here to find out more!