Classifieds

Medusa, a mother right whale, estimated to be 42 years old, was scouted with her calf off the coast of St. Catherines Sound, Georgia, on Dec. 7, 2022, by a survey team from Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute. The mother-calf encounter was the first of this 2022-23 calving season.
So far, a baker’s dozen of calves have been identified this season in a joint inter-agency conservation effort. With an estimated fewer than 70 reproductively active female right whales in existence, conservationists say many more births are needed for a rebound.
The number of right whales plummeted around six years ago, largely due to human causes, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported. In what is being called an "unusual mortality event," their populations dropped by more than 20 percent due to injury or sickness. The primary causes of this are entanglements in fishing gear and collisions with boats and ships, causing females to produce fewer calves each year impacting the species’ recovery....