Sad news came on Valentine’s Day weekend. On Friday afternoon, the 12th, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission Survey plane sighted Right whale #3230, Infinity, and her first calf, near the St. Augustine Inlet. A few hours later, at dusk, a returning sport fishing boat struck something in the inlet and reported that they hit a whale. The next morning, the body of a calf came ashore on the beach at Anastasia State Park. It is believed to be the calf of Infinity. By the afternoon, a response was in progress, and documentation and measurements recorded. The following day, Sunday the 14th, a necropsy (autopsy conducted on a non-human) was performed and samples taken.
There have been 14 calves born this season. With this death, 13 remain. The calf came ashore on the 13th. An unlucky day for the whales, and for the dedicated scientists and citizens who study and monitor them. The mother is out there. Somewhere. Is she grieving?
The news coverage provides a good summary (ctrl click on the link) :
Right whale calf fatally struck by boat washes up on Anastasia Island
by Brie Isom, News4Jax
Scientists say beached right whale calf had broken skull, broken ribs
by Jessica Clark, First Coast News
