Two adult females of the extremely endangered North Atlantic right whale population are swimming far from home waters, sighted off the Florida Panhandle between Panama City and Destin in recent days, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
NOAA and whale conservation groups received reports of the whales, dubbed Koala, 16 years old, and Curlew, aged 14 years, by whale researchers who meticulously track the whales on their travels along the Northwest Atlantic coast of the U.S. and Canada. During their Florida exploration the whales are swimming in shallow waters and apparently in good health, according to the agency.
Female right whales are known to migrate to Atlantic coastal waters off the Southeast U.S. coast to give birth to calves, but it is rare for right whales to be seen in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida’s western shores, and only four other instances have been reported since 2000, NOAA officials say.
Both females “could have been pregnant when they first came to the Southeast U.S. this calving season, although neither has been seen with a calf previously. Neither has been previously seen in the Gulf,” according to NOAA.
Right whales often swim at or just below the sea surface, making them difficult for mariners to spot. Off the U.S. Atlantic coast NOAA routinely issues advisories to notify vessel operators when numbers of right whales are detected in certain areas, and vessels more than 65’ in length are required to limit speeds to 10 knots.
A proposal by NOAA to extend the speed limit advisories to vessels between 35’ and 65’ was suspended amid widespread opposition from boating and fishing industry advocates and their allies in Congress.
“Biologists are working with partners and law enforcement to raise awareness about the animals’ presence,” the agency said in an email alert Monday for Gulf mariners and fishermen. “The public and mariners are asked to report all sightings immediately to our hotline (877-WHALE-HELP) so we can monitor their movements and body conditions. Please give whales space and keep a safe distance (at least 500 yards is the law) for their sake and yours.”
