Scientists find new North Atlantic Right Whale calf in Canada

Researchers with the Mingan Island Cetacean Study photographed a mother and a calf near Anticosti Island in Quebec, Canada.

The New England Aquarium used these images to update the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog, a database used to track the movements and identities of the critically endangered species. Scientists at the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life identified the calf as a new addition to the population.

The mother, a 38-year-old whale named Silt, had not been seen since February and successfully avoided detection during various surveys along the U.S. East Coast throughout the spring and summer. The discovery occurred more than five months after the official calving season ended in the southeastern United States. The discovery brings the total number of documented mother-calf pairs to 24. This find contributes to what experts describe as the most productive calving season for the species since 2009.

Despite this growth, the population remains small, with only about 70 reproductive-age females left. The species continues to face risks from vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear, which have caused the death of several of Silt's previous offspring.