Thank You
The 2023 right whale season in the southeastern U.S. is over, the whales are enroute or have arrived in the feeding grounds to the north. Our data and photos have been submitted to the central repository, the right whale catalog, at the New England Aquarium in Boston. Here, we are cleaning, packing, and storing our gear. Sara departed on Friday, March 31, for her home in Maine. Jim departed for his home on Cape Cod in Massachusetts later that week.
First and foremost, as we have done for previous years, a huge thank you to our capable and dedicated volunteers. Our mobile teams have logged 4,500 hrs of lookout time, while our condo teams have logged another 1,000 hrs. Then too, there are the educational and outreach efforts―brochures, phone cards, and information was provided to curious citizens, beach goers, walkers, and visitors.
Next, happily, volunteers bring skills. You have taken photographs, flown drones, and made observations. Every contribution enhances our results and makes our volunteer network stronger.
A monstrously HUGE thank you to everyone.
Season Summary
In this, our 23rd season, we had a total of 14 sightings. We had one mother-calf pair, Archipelago, female #3370 with her third calf. We had eight sightings of this pair within five consecutive days, 8 through 12 January. The mother-calf activity, for us, was compressed to one pair and one week.
Beyond that, we had a number of singles. On 10 January, Team 1N sighted the 2022 calf of #3430. It was also seen on 11 January off Beverly Beach. On 31 January, a yearling, the 2022 calf of #2753, was sighted by Team 3 at their first stop, at 8:05 on a Tuesday morning. Finally, a boater reported a sighting off St. Augustine on the morning of 2 February. This individual has been identified as another yearling, the 2022 calf of #1245. As the day progressed, another single, provisionally identified as #4908, a 4 y.o. male, was seen off Marineland, and late in the day, off Flagler Beach.
This season included a number of beachcast animals. On 26 January, Team 1N discovered an ocean sunfish, Mola mola, off Ponte Vedra. On 11 January, a dead beached female killer whale, Orcinus orca, came ashore at Jungle Hut Road. And, late in the season, on Friday, 24 March, a 16 ft long female Gervais’ beaked whale, Mesoplodon europaeus, beached at South Flagler Beach. Both the killer whale and the beaked whale were recovered by stranding specialists from Hubbs SeaWorld.
The Big Picture
Based on records compiled by the Florida Fish and Wildlife team, there were a total of 49 right whales (+ 11 calves) in southeastern U.S. waters this season. While there were no large groups as we have seen in some previous years, there was diversity, as 14 males also made the trip to these waters. The 14 sightings by the Marineland Right Whale Project (see below) were a decrease from the previous year. Overall, the population stands at 340 individuals as of the end of 2021 (graph below).
Verified right whale sightings by the Marineland Right Whale Project during the 23 years of the program. Sightings in the last five years showed a promising increase followed by a disappointing decrease.
The cumulative sightings of right whales by all groups during the 2023 SEUS season. The yellow symbols are mother-calf pairs. The plot includes resightings of the same pairs/individuals.
Population estimates for the North Atlantic right whale as of the end of 2021.
Donations
At our season-end party, as we always do, we put out a request for donations. Many responded, and we have $3,500 in hand. Checks continue to appear in our mailbox. But, we’re not quite there yet (we need to raise about $8,000 from the private donations part of our fundraising endeavor). Therefore, if you are willing and able, please write a check for $100 (larger or smaller is o.k. too), made out to Associated Scientists at Woods Hole (or simply ASWH) and mail to Jim Hain, ASWH, P.O. Box 721, Woods Hole, MA 02543. The cumulative effect of your donations help keep this program viable.
Videos
The most excellent video that Sara showed at the season-end meeting, “2023 Volunteer Teams,” is available at our YouTube channel, Marineland Right Whale Project.
As an alternative to searching: the direct link is: youtube.com/@marinelandrightwhaleprojec4079
Another video, done by Flagler College students is being finalized and will be posted shortly on our channel.
And finally,
Thanks again to everyone. See you in January for our 24th season. Stay healthy.
Jim and Sara. (Photo: B. Gough)
