Extremely Endangered Whales Spotted Gathering off the Maine Coast

A group of extremely endangered whales have been spotted swimming and feeding off the Maine coast.

Biologists from the New England Aquarium conducted an aerial survey that discovered North Atlantic right whales gathering in the Wilkinson Basin.

Of particular note was a North Atlantic right whale known as Pediddle, spotted feeding her 10-month-old calf, the Aquarium said in a press release.

Right whales are approaching extinction, with fewer than 350 remaining, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). There may be fewer than 100 breeding females left, which could prove dire for the species if action is not taken.

For that reason, it is always noteworthy when they are spotted, and even more so when a mother is seen with her calf.

Pediddle is 45 years old and has given birth to nine calves so far. The recently sighted calf was first documented in the southeast of the U.S. in January.

Biologists also saw other right whales in the area, including an adult called Mohawk. This male was spotted feeding among a group of basking sharks.

"It was incredible to watch these right whales feeding at the surface, especially Pediddle's calf learning to feed alongside its mother," Katherine McKenna, an assistant scientist who captured the aerial survey photos, said in a statement. "Right whale mothers and their calves are vital to the recovery of this critically endangered species, and it is important to ensure they are protected from threats throughout their range."

Biologists have noticed that North Atlantic right whales are shifting their habitats recently due to warming waters in the North Atlantic Ocean.

"The Gulf of Maine is a very large area, and with so few right whales remaining, spotting them here can sometimes be like finding a needle in a haystack," Orla O'Brien, an associate scientist in the Aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center who leads the aerial survey team said in a statement. "These sightings, combined with all the other types of whales we've seen feeding here, demonstrate that the Gulf of Maine continues to be an important habitat and one that needs protection."

Recently, the endangered species have been spotted from Newfoundland to New Jersey.

Although the species are rarely spotted, the New England Aquarium highlighted that this shows the species can be broadly distributed at any point.

This species is particularly at risk from human threats such as entanglement in fishing gear. Whales can die from becoming bogged down in the rope, as it affects their ability to swim, hunt, and eat.

Last year, a North Atlantic right whale known as Snowcone, made the news for getting entangled in a long fishing rope. The whale had been swimming in the rope since 2021, and it eventually became clear that the whale was dying because of the predicament.

In September 2022, Snowcone was spotted by New England Aquarium scientists swimming off the coast of Nantucket in a dire state. She was emaciated and covered in lice. She was not seen again.