First right whale mom and calf of the season spotted in Cape Cod Bay: 'Hope for the species'

Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald on Mar 18, 2025

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BOSTON — The first North Atlantic right whale mom and calf duo of the season were spotted in Cape Cod Bay heading into spring, the Center for Coastal Studies announced.

“The first sighting of mother/calf pairs in Cape Cod Bay each season is always an exciting moment that brings hope for the species,” said Daniel Palacios, the Center’s Right Whale Ecology Program director. “Their presence confirms successful calving in the southeastern U.S. during the winter months and marks a crucial stage in the calves’ early development. Given the critically endangered status of North Atlantic right whales, every birth is vital for population recovery.”

The pair were spotted last Tuesday about five miles west of Great Island, Wellfleet, in Cape Cod Bay by aerial observers with the Provincetown-based Center for Coastal Studies.

North Atlantic right whales typically return to northern feeding grounds around New England and Canada in winter and early spring after calving off the coast of the southeast U.S. each year. Cape Cod Bay is “host to one of the largest feeding aggregations” of the endangered whales each year.

Already this year, researchers with the Center for Coastal Studies have seen 80 right whales in the bay, the center said. The population is currently estimated to be 372 individual whales.

In 2024, the first mom and calf were spotted in Cape Cod Bay on April 7, the center reported. At the time the total population was estimated to be under 360.

The center called the arrival of the moms and calves to the bay “an encouraging event” given the species critically endangered status.

Aerial Observer and Center for Coastal Studies researcher Ryan Schosberg said his team was on the final track line of a “busy survey day” when they spotted a pair of whales.

“As we approached to document them, we knew we had to move quickly due to rising winds, which were nearing the upper limit of our survey parameters,” said Schosberg. “Then to our surprise, a relatively small animal surfaced, and our initial confusion quickly turned to excitement when we realized this was our first right whale calf of the season!”

The mother was identified as 31-year-old Nauset, who was first sighted with this newborn calf on Dec. 1, 2024 off the coast of Georgia. The new calf is the mother’s fifth, two of which are dead or presumed dead.

“The long-term survival of the species depends on these calves, highlighting the urgent need to protect Cape Cod Bay as a critical habitat where they feed and nurse,” said Palacios.

The center noted that ship strikes are one of the greatest threats to North Atlantic right whales, and “important efforts are being taken to reduce this danger.” In Massachusetts, the research organization said, vessels are required to travel no faster than 10 knots in coastal waters and Cape Cod Bay, and people in the area are prohibited by law from approaching the whales within 500 yards without a federal research permit.

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