Wildlife officials have confirmed the birth of a young calf from an entangled whale near the waters of Cumberland Island, Georgia. The whale in question is the endangered North Atlantic right whale dragging the length of a fishing rope caught in its mouth as it swam with its newborn calf.
Wildlife biologist Clay George of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said that the baby whale appeared healthy and uninjured during their aerial survey last Thursday, December 2.
North Atlantic right whale as part of NOAA's Earth Is Blue series.
Second Whale Birth in Southeastern US
Phys.org reported that the newborn calf recently spotted via aerial survey is the second newborn right whale confirmed in the Atlantic waters in the southeastern US during the calving season that typically starts in December until March.
Scientists said that they could spot the endangered whale last week dragging a fishing rope at least since March this year, when it was first reported to be entangled in Cape Cod Bay, off the coast of Massachusetts. Experts were able to cut short the rope, but they could not free it before the whale went south.
"We haven't seen a chronically entangled whale come down here from up north and have a calf," George said, as quoted by Tampa Bay Times. "It's amazing. But on the other hand, it could ultimately be a death sentence for her."
Experts pointed out that the mother whale may struggle in nursing her calf while dragging the fishing line and recovering from the injuries caused by it. Female whales usually feed and mate in the waters near New England and Canada before they head south to give birth and will not eat again until they return, which could take at least three months or longer.
On the same day they spotted the whale and its calf, a trained group of responders approached them via a boat to see their condition. George said that the response team had concluded any attempt to remove or further shorten the fishing rope as it could pose great danger to both mother and calf and the crew.
Nonetheless, they decided to keep an eye on the whale and its baby and check on them daily, especially during the calving season, to ensure they are in good condition.
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North Atlantic Right Whale: One of the Most Endangered Large Whale Species
According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, the North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered large whale species in the world. As of now, there are less than 350 remaining North Atlantic right whales recorded.
They are found in the North Pacific Ocean, while the Southern right whale is located in the southern hemisphere. Right whales are baleen whales that feed on copepods or tiny crustaceans using baleen plates that act as sieves.
One of the reasons their numbers have gone down is whale oil extracted from their blubber. Commercial whalers hunted right whales in the Atlantic ocean to the brink of extinction in the 1890s. But even though whaling does not pose a threat to them anymore, entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes are the leading causes of their deaths today.
NOAA Fisheries and its partners are dedicated to conserving and rebuilding their population using innovative techniques, developing regulations and management plans, and reducing the risk of entanglements.
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