North Atlantic right whales: summer update

This summer North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW) update includes information about where whales are presently observed feeding and cavorting. In addition to summer whale observations, this update features local activities by Amelia Island Whale Ambassadors and upcoming planned events for the Right Whale Festival.

For decades, the NARW has returned each year to feed on the abundance of copepods found between Cape Cod Bay, the Gulf of Maine, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In this region, tidal currents mix cold water with nutrients, creating a rich soup of zooplankton. In that soup of zooplankton, NARW find their favorite food, copepods. These cold-water currents shift according to climate conditions, making it difficult for researchers to predict exactly where the whales will be feeding from year to year.

Traditionally, NARW were observed returning annually to the area between New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Maine. However, in 2010 a significant decrease in the number of whales sighted in this region concerned scientists. After struggling to find out where the whales had gone, researchers finally found they were feeding in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Then, they moved again. NARWs continue to surprise researchers about where they will aggregate. They are following the food, and the food is following cold-water currents, and cold-water currents are driven by changing climate conditions.

Individual NARWs are also astonishing researchers by traveling beyond their known range. In 2018, NARW Mogul (#3845) was sighted off the coast of Iceland and then again off the coast of France in 2019. This spring, we were all captivated by Koala (#3940) and Curlew (#4190), who traveled from New England south along the east coast of Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico before turning around and making their way to the Bahamas. This summer, the two female NARWs were spotted in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Last month, the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DOF) in Canada observed a large pod of pilot whales east of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Pilot whales are not uncommon in the region. However, one in the group certainly stood out from the rest. High-resolution video confirmed a 19-year-old NARW named Eternity was swimming with the pod. This was the first sighting of Eternity in the Bay of Fundy area.

“So, she’s way outside of her usual spots that she’s been sighted at before,” said Dr. Jack Lawson, scientist with DOF. “And, for us in Newfoundland, we’ve only seen less than 50 right whales since data started to be recorded since the whaling days around Newfoundland and Labrador.”

The sighting of the Eternity with pilot whales was also uncommon in that pilot whales are toothed whales and NARW are baleen whales. They do not eat the same food. Pilot whales are looking for squid and fish, and NARWs are looking for tiny copepods. The pilot whales were observed surfing on the wake of the much larger NAWR, Eternity.

Visual, acoustic and vessel observations are used to determine the location of NARWs each year. A quick look at WhaleMap indicates current observations of NARWs along the coast of North America. The map is updated daily so researchers and government officials in the U.S. and Canada can provide alerts to mariners in the region.

In other related news, the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) reported it removed 520 lost lobster traps and more than 10,000 pounds of rope from Massachusetts waters last month. The non-profit CCS is allowed to work with fishermen to remove abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear, also known as ghost gear, which poses a threat to marine life. Of the 520 traps collected this year, 120 of them were returned to their owners. All other traps were recycled. Tags on the gear represented 82 different fishermen spanning from 1999 to 2024.

Fishing gear collected in Cape Cod Bay, Mass. Photo courtesy of the Center for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, Mass.

The Amelia Island Whale Ambassadors Youth Education Team is sharing NARW information with local schools, daycare centers, and homeschool groups. Each presentation uses visual aids designed to teach our youth about NARWs, which migrate to local coastal waters each fall/winter to give birth.

The 2025 Right Whale Festival will be held at Fernandina’s Main Beach Park Nov. 1-2, 2025. On Oct. 31, Dr. Michael Moore, scientist, veterinarian, and NARW expert from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, will be the honored guest speaker at the Right Whale Festival’s Expert Luncheon. Dr. Moore is the author of “We Are All Whalers.” This engaging book is easy to read, full of facts and data, and sensitive to the plight of the NARW. Dr. Moore captures the spirit of the right whale and most importantly, he addresses the problem facing all marine life — global consumerism.

In advance of Dr. Moore’s presentation at the Right Whale Expert Luncheon, Amelia Island Whale Ambassadors and Story & Song will host two book discussions about “We Are All Whalers.” You can attend one or both discussions, which will focus on different questions about NARWs. The book discussion dates are scheduled for Sept. 16, 10-11:30 a.m. and Sept. 25, 2-3:30 p.m. “We Are All Whalers” is available for advanced purchase through Story & Song. Please RSVP to cwhitney@ameliawhales.org to save your seat.