Scientists were shocked and delighted to discover a previously unaccounted for baby right whale swimming alongside its mama off the coast of Quebec.
The surprisingly sneaky, 6,804-kilogram North Atlantic right whale calf had somehow evaded the watchful eyes of researchers who closely track endangered species’ population
That is, until it was photographed in September off Anticosti Island.
“To be completely honest, I was a bit skeptical at first,” Amy Warren, scientist at the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center, told As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal.
But Warren and her colleagues painstakingly confirmed the discovery by identifying the mother and comparing the calf’s distinctive markings to those of other whales already on file.
Its sudden appearance brings the number of baby right whales from the most recent birthing season to 24 — the most productive year for the species since 2009, and the fourth-highest count on record, the aquarium said.
“This year definitely brings a lot of hope and a lot of optimism,” Warren said.
Scientists who work with North Atlantic right whales don’t always find a lot of reasons to be hopeful, says Warren.
There are only 380 in the world, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and their population fell by 25 per cent between 2010 and 2020. There are only about 70 known reproductive-age females alive today.
That’s, in part, because warming oceans are forcing the creatures away from protected areas and into places where they’re extremely vulnerable to collisions with large ships and entanglement in commercial fishing gear
“It can be really hard work seeing these whales go through really traumatic events. We document their scars and their injuries, and we spend a lot of time talking about that and looking at that,” Warren said.
“So to think about these calves and see these calves, and seeing so many of them, it’s … really positive.”
Trend or anomaly?
Things may be looking up. North Atlantic right whales have gained back some of their population since 2020, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and this year’s baby explosion has scientists cautiously optimistic.
But Warren says it’s too soon to say whether this is part of an upward trend, or simply an anomaly.
“Maybe they have been finding better food sources, better food areas. That’s quite possible,” she said.
“We long to hope that some of the efforts that researchers and management are doing to protect them are also working. It’s hard to say that, you know, with certainty.”
This newest calf belongs to a female known as Silt, who researchers say is at least 38 years old. This is her sixth calf.
“So she’s a very well experienced mother,” Warren said. “She last gave birth in 2022, so timing wise, this makes sense to be able to calf this year.”
Right whales can technically give birth once every three years, though, in reality, Warren says they tend to wait between five and 10 years.
But that gap, she says, appears to be closing.
“Something we noticed with the females this year is that the average was closer to five years, when 10 years ago, it was the average of about 10 years between calves.”
How did this calf stay hidden?
The elusive marine mammals give birth off the southeastern U.S. in winter before venturing north to New England and Canada to feed, and scientists keep a close eye on their population, photographing them extensively and cataloguing them based on their unique head markings.
The babies, Warren says, are hard to miss. They’re still learning to swim and they can’t hold their breath very long.
“Moms and calves spend a lot of time near the surface, which means they’re more easily spotted,” Warren said.
“So the fact that this mom calf pair managed to get likely from that area all the way up to Canada and almost back out without being spotted by any of the surveys along the way, it’s quite impressive and quite rare.”
The duo was sighted by researchers with Mingan Island Cetacean Study, a non-profit research organization in the province’s coastal Côte-Nord region.
“It just goes to show you how big the ocean is, and how those animals can get lost out there,” said Richard Sears, founder and director of Mingan Island Cetacean Study.
Warren, meanwhile, says she hopes it’s a sign of a brighter future for North Atlantic right whales.
“That is the hope,” she said. “But we will find out in the years to come.”
