A quarter of new North Atlantic right whale calves documented earlier this year are dead, missing or presumed dead after a spate of early-season mortalities, according to Massachusetts’ Division of Marine Fisheries.
Four of the 20 documented new calves remain missing and presumed dead, a state briefing said, while one calf was confirmed dead from injuries sustained in a vessel strike off South Carolina.
In addition to the calf deaths, two right whale females were killed by vessels — one off Georgia in February and another off Virginia in April, regulators said. Another right whale was found dead near Martha’s Vineyard in January. A necropsy found that whale had been entangled in lobster gear.
Despite these deaths, the Massachusetts briefing described the first half of 2024 as “a mixed bag for the North Atlantic right whale population, with some setbacks in protection and recovery, as well as bright spots in conservation efforts.”
