Page 4 - Coastwatch_2024_v5b

Right Whale Research

North Atlantic right whales breeding
372 are left, with an estimated 70 females.

calves born in the of those calves

20 2023-24 season. 5 are presumed or
confirmed to have died.

The RWEP documented That’s

right whales during
171 the 2023-24 season. 46%
of the known
population! EgNo 1810 Swerve and calf, April 9, 2024.
CCS Image, NOAA Permit #25740-02

North Atlantic right whales are critically endangered. Scientists estimate there
are only 372 individuals left in the world. Cape Cod Bay and surrounding waters
are vital habitat for these whales during the winter and early spring, when food
resources are abundant. Many right whale mothers bring their new calves to these
waters during their long migration from the calving grounds off the southeastern
United States to their northern feeding grounds off Maine and Canada.
The Center for Coastal Studies’ Right Whale Ecology Program (RWEP) is
dedicated to expanding scientific understanding of the North Atlantic right whale
in this region. The program’s work supports conservation efforts that address the
leading causes of right whale injury and death: vessel strikes, and entanglement

Calf of EgNo 1802 curiously approaches R/V in fishing gear.
Shearwater, April 26, 2024. To achieve its mission, the RWEP conducts annual aerial surveys and vessel-
CCS Image, NOAA Permit # 25740-02
based habitat monitoring in Cape Cod Bay. These efforts form the backbone of our
data collection, providing insights into the number of whales using the bay, their individual identities, and the quality of their
food resources. This science-based approach informs policy and conservation actions essential to protecting the species.

CCS Right Whale Ecology Program

2023-24 Season

25 411 25,875 37 covering
aerial surveys,

habitat cruises zooplankton images 12,123
aboard the R/V samples processed
Shearwater collected nautical miles

4