TWO WEEKS IN

A Promising Start

In this 25th season of surveys, our team of volunteers is more than 270 strong! Welcome aboard to new volunteers, including the community team at Cinnamon Beach in the Hammock area of Palm Coast.

On the afternoon of 3 January, 170 people gathered at University of Florida’s Whitney Lab in Marineland for our Season Opener. Before the meeting began, Kelly Fischbach of Marineland Dolphin Adventure reported two whales to the hotline. The aerial survey team of Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) diverted their plane to Marineland and identified the whales as #3940, Koala, and #4190, Curlew. 

These adult females have been sighted together in southeast US waters since late November. Both are considered potential mothers, since they are old enough—16 and 14 years old, respectively—to be mothers. Neither has ever been seen with a calf, and it is unknown if either is pregnant. Some volunteers got a chance to see the whales before the meeting, while others searched on their way home.

Two days later, 5 Jan, another call came in to the hotline: two whales, off Beverly Beach, heading south. Photos taken by our new volunteer drone pilot Jeff Greene were verified by FWC to be Koala and Curlew again. Our 2025 Robocall system was not yet functional, so Sara called Team Leaders, who in turn contacted their teams. Crowds gathered along A1A as the whales slowly cruised past Flagler Beach on a sunny Sunday afternoon. 

Adult female right whales, Koala (left) and Curlew, off Flagler Beach. Koala’s callosity resembles a koala bear. Curlew has a curved scar on her back shaped like a curlew’s beak. Image: Jeff Greene, Research Permit #26562

That very same Sunday, there were public reports of a mother-calf pair further north, off South Ponte Vedra Beach. Team Leaders of Sector 1 North, Kim Jacomo & Shea Lox, responded to verify the sighting, as did FWC’s aerial team. The mother was #2430, Minus One. She is at least 31 years old and this is her fourth known calf. This pair was first sighted off Amelia Island, FL on 9 Dec, then several times offshore in the Ponte Vedra Beach area. This was the first time they were sighted so close to shore.

The head of Minus One’s calf is dwarfed by its mother’s huge pectoral fin. Image: Kim Jacomo.

Many volunteers—old and new—got to see their very first right whale on January 3rd or 5th. Over these two days, more of our volunteers saw whales than over the entire 2024 season! 

For surveyors who did not get to see whales either day, there is still good reason for hope! 

Traveling Ambassadors

Koala and Curlew have made quite an impression along Florida’s east coast, as they continued steaming south past Cape Canaveral. Between 10 and 13 January, our colleagues Julie Albert and Joel Cohen of Blue World Research Institute (BWRI) documented the pair’s presence as far south as Boynton Beach!

The travels of this dynamic duo have caught the attention of the media, who are helping spread the word about right whales and the issues they face. Articles have been published recently in the Observer (of Palm Coast and Ormond Beach) and Treasure Coast Newspapers.

   

Where will Koala and Curlew show up next? Will they continue into the Gulf of Mexico? Will either—or both—have a calf this season? Only time will tell.

Wintry Weather

The weather has been variable over the first two weeks of surveys. After several calm and warm days, things turned windy and wintry. Some days, surveyors bundled up and carried on. On others, cold weather advisories and freeze warnings prompted full cancellations. If anyone out there has a connection with the weather gods, please put in a good word for us! 

Members of Sector 1 South’s Sunday Funday Team modeling necessities on chilly survey days: warm clothes and donuts!  Image: Liz Hanahan.

Mark your calendars

On Thursday, 30 Jan, 1:00-2:30pm, Terran McGinnis of Marineland Dolphin Adventure will give a right whale presentation at the Education Center of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, 505 Guana River Rd, Ponte Vedra Beach. If you have a chance to attend—or visit GTM another day—check out the center’s huge models of a mother-calf pair of right whales.

Other keys dates ahead: 

• Saturday 8 Feb, 1:30-4:00pm: Mid-season meeting with potluck.
• Saturday 8 Mar: Formal surveys end.
• Saturday 15 Mar: Closing meeting, with potluck and “world famous” raffle. (Donations of raffle items are welcome. Please contact Sara to discuss.)

In the meantime, here’s hoping for light winds and heavy whales! 

THE 2025 SEASON BEGINS!

Kick-Off Meeting

The Marineland Right Whale Project has entered its 25th season!  Surveys began on Saturday, January 4 and run through Saturday, March 8.

The Season Opening Meeting and Orientation took place on Friday, January 3 at the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience in Marineland.  Old and new volunteers had a chance to meet each other and their Team Leaders, and hear updates on right whales, 2025 program plans, and survey protocols. 

Whales to Date

As of December 16, seven right whales have been reported in southeast U.S. waters.  These include mother #2413, Nauset, 31 years old, with her 5th calf, and #2430, Minus One, at least 31 years old, with her 4th calf.  Several potential mothers have been sighted, as well as a four-year-old male, #5132.  

 

A Cost-savings Change

A reality check.  Money is often an issue for small environmental and conservation groups such as ours.  For the 2023 and 2024 seasons, we experienced a deficit.  To rectify this situation, we have incorporated a cost-savings measure for the coming season.  Sara will manage the program in Florida; Jim will take care of administrative tasks from his home in Massachusetts.  The savings will offset the deficit.  We hope to return to normal in future years.

 

Education and Outreach

This fall, we participated in several events to educate the public about right whales and our surveys, sign up new volunteers, and raise program support.

 

The annual Right Whale Festival was held in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, 2-3 November.  Kim Jacomo and Shea Lox set up and manned our exhibit, with help from Jean Cardany and Sue Delegal.  Anne Sheridan and Heike Hudes made a wonderful quilt for a successful fundraising raffle.

Closer to home, more than 20 volunteers took shifts at our right whale table at the Marineland Market on 2 November and 7 December.   

 

Thank you all for keeping our education and outreach efforts strong.

 

2024 Report and Team Handbook Posted

Each year we prepare a summary report for the preceding season.  This provides volunteers, colleagues, and collaborators an overview of the season.  The 2024 report is posted at www.aswh.org.  On the homepage, find “MRWP Right Whale Report 2024”, in the menu on the left. 

 

There is also an updated version of the Team Handbook (also in the menu on the left).  A hard copy will be provided in each team survey bag, and anyone can download a personal copy from our website.

 

On the Alert

Both mother-calf pairs have been sighted off Amelia Island.  They have come into Florida waters.  When beach walking or on the deck of your condo or local restaurants, have your binoculars and the HOTLINE phone number (888-979-4253) handy.  We will organize a response.  Good luck to us, and to the whales !