Researchers have identified a new-to-the-area North Atlantic right whale. They say it came three-thousand miles to get here.
During a recent aerial survey, observers with the Center for Coastal Studies spotted an unfamiliar North Atlantic right whale, about 23 nautical miles east of Boston.
Researchers identify members of the critically endangered species by scars and other markings. This whale has a unique scar on the right side of his head. But nothing in the New England Aquarium’s North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog was a match.
It did, however, match photos taken in July 2024 off the coast of Ireland. The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group helped make the I.D.
A few whales have been documented swimming from North America to Europe and back. But this is the first time a right whale first spotted in Europe has been seen here.
The current population estimate for North Atlantic right whales is 384.
