Marineland Right Whale Project

06/11/2026

The enormous whale graveyard is teeming with organisms and species that "may be new to science", according to a study.

Read more: https://bbc.in/4uvTbYq

05/29/2026

Please use the link in the article below to tell NOAA, before June 2 at 11:59 PM, to keep vessel speed limits in place to help protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales!!!

There is currently no proven technology that reduces the risk of vessel strikes as effectively as slowing down.

Your voice can make a difference. Please take a moment to speak up for right whales. Follow the link and stand up for the whales!!!

05/13/2026

https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/noaa-seeks-information-to-support-improvements-to-vessel-speed-regulations

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced an advance notice of proposed rulemaking requesting information that could help modernize regulations designed to reduce the risk of lethal vessel strikes with endangered North Atlantic right whales. NOAA is seeking information from industry...

05/09/2026

Endangered Species Amendments Act withdrawn on Earth Day!

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 provides some protections to right whales and other species. However, some view that applications of the act constitute federal “overreach.” On 6 March 2025, the Endangered Species Amendments Act of 2025, H.R. 1897, was filed by Representative Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources. The proposed “reforms” limited protections, restricted critical habitat designations, required consideration of economic impacts, streamlined permitting requirements, and modified a number of other legal requirements.

There was a reaction. Defenders of Wildlife, defenders.org, and other environmental groups organized a “fly-in” to Washington D.C. A hundred conservation advocates, including MRWP Program Coordinator Terran McGinnis, participated. The Florida team consisted of representatives from the Sea Turtle Conservancy, the Save the Manatee Club, Matanzas Riverkeeper, Miami Waterkeeper, Minorities in Shark Sciences, and the Marineland Right Whale Project. Over two days of meetings they met with legislative aids for Representatives and Senators. Sea turtles and manatees were discussed as examples of the successes of the ESA.

Right whales were offered as examples of why we still desperately need this powerful conservation tool. All Representatives and Senators were invited to participate in surveys with our teams during the 2027 season.

In a movie-worthy bit of drama, on the day Terran arrived in D.C. it was announced that the vote was scheduled to take place while she was there. At the 11th hour on April 22nd, the vote was removed from the schedule. With clear division among the Republican Representatives, primarily those from Florida, it became clear that the vote could not pass and rather than risk a loss, it was pulled.

However, the New York Times, 22 April 2026, reported that Representative Westerman was attempting to shore up support in hopes of rescheduling a vote on the measure. Meanwhile, Terran and the team are back in meetings to prepare for the next steps as a revised bill may be proposed.

Thank you to Terran and all involved for standing up for the NARW and all endangered species!

(Photo: Our local representative is Randy Fine (R.), Florida’s 6th District—a district that extends from south of St. Augustine to south Daytona, and inland to the outskirts of Ocala. Here, Terran and others are pictured With Randy Fine’s aide, Ben Gonzales.)

05/09/2026

Good News! Mirror and calf were seen north of Cape Cod!

As previously described, female catalog #4617, Mirror, and her calf were sighted by the MRWP on 14 March. At the time, we opined that the calf was small, and that this appeared to be a late-season birth. While the great majority of the 23 southeastern U.S. mother-calf pairs were subsequently seen up north, Mirror was absent.

But then there was good news! On 7 May, colleagues at the Center for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, Massachusetts, reported that, on the morning of 7 May, the pair was sighted north of Cape Cod Bay—the first sighting of the pair outside of the calving grounds. Ryan Schosbwrg commented, “… one of the smallest, youngest, calves I have seen up here.”

Photo credit: Mirror, #4617, with calf on 7 May 2026, NW of Cape Cod Bay. Photo: Center for Coastal Studies, NOAA/NMFS Permit # 25740-03.

05/09/2026

Did you know? North Atlantic right whale calves stay with their moms for up to two years, nursing and bonding as they migrate up and down the East Coast. 🐋

WHOI researchers, along with our partners at New England Aquarium and Center for Coastal Studies, documented 23 new mother-calf pairs this season, the highest number since 2011!

🤗What's the best trip you've ever taken with your mom? Let us know in the comments! (and don't forget Mother's Day!)

📸
Bocce, one of the new moms in the 2025-26 North Atlantic right whale calving season, and calf.
Michael Moore/WHOI under NMFS Permit No. 27066

05/08/2026

EXHIBITOR REGISTRATION for the 2026 Right Whale Festival is now OPEN!

The festival will be held on Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8, 2026 at Main Beach Park on Amelia Island, Florida.

The Right Whale Festival features exhibitors focused on the ocean, nature, science, water recreation, education, conservation or the environment. We also welcome exhibitors selling unique gifts, fine art, photography, and crafts related to this theme.

Exhibitors can register online at: https://rightwhalefestival.com/get-involved

Exhibitor registration will remain open until October 1, 2026 or until all exhibtor spaces are filled.

04/19/2026

In the cold, vast expanse of the North Atlantic Ocean, a fragile story of survival is unfolding—one that scientists and conservationists are watching with both caution and hope. The North Atlantic right whale, one of the most endangered marine mammals on the planet, is clinging to existence with a population estimated at only around 360 individuals. Every single birth, therefore, is not just important—it is critical.

During the 2025–2026 calving season, researchers recorded something extraordinary: 23 newborn calves. For a species standing so close to the edge, this number has brought a rare wave of optimism across the scientific community. It is significantly higher than average and may indicate that long-term conservation efforts are beginning to show measurable results.

The story of these whales is deeply tied to human history. Centuries ago, they were heavily hunted during the whaling era because they were considered the “right” whales to catch—slow-moving, buoyant after death, and easy to harvest. By the early 20th century, their population had collapsed to dangerously low levels, leaving them with a legacy of exploitation that still shapes their survival today.

Today, the threats have changed, but they remain severe. Instead of harpoons, modern dangers come in the form of ship strikes and fishing gear entanglement. These invisible risks in busy ocean corridors continue to claim lives and prevent population recovery.

In response, scientists, governments, and conservation groups have introduced protective measures. Seasonal vessel speed restrictions help reduce collision risks, monitoring systems track whale movements, and efforts are underway to redesign fishing gear to prevent accidental entanglement. Each step is part of a growing global effort to give this species a fighting chance.

Yet despite this hopeful calving season, the North Atlantic right whale remains critically endangered. Its future still hangs in a delicate balance where survival depends on every single individual—every adult whale, every calf, every protected migration route.

And yet, in these 23 newborn calves, there is something undeniable drifting through the ocean currents.

A quiet but powerful sign that recovery, however uncertain, is still possible.

Uncovered Past

Source: North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium | Marine conservation reports
Credit: North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium
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04/18/2026

In this message, our Lead Scientist shares what your support truly makes possible: trained observers on the beach, drones in the air (under NMFS permit #26562), and the critical early warning network that helps protect mothers and calves along our coast.

With fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales remaining, every single donation matters.

If you’ve given, thank you. If you’ve been thinking about it, there’s still time to help.

🔗 Link to GoFundMe in comments.