May 8, 2026 — A new count shows increased numbers of mother-calf pairs in the Atlantic, but their total numbers are still less than 400.
The number of one of the planet’s most endangered whales may be rebounding.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium researchers counted 23 Right Whale calves during their annual survey. That’s up from 11 mother-calf pairs counted last year.
The whales live in the Atlantic from Florida northward to North Carolina, although their range is expanding north as the oceans heat up. They’re susceptible to ship strikes, and fewer than four hundred are known to remain.
Melanie White directs the North Atlantic Right Whale conservation project with the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
“This is a critically endangered species, and so every individual is vitally important to the population,” she said. “And the number is well above where it was in previous years, actually well over a decade, have we gotten a chance to see mother calf pairs so high.”
White said there’s no clear reason for the increase, other than their food supply seems to be stable and fewer boat strikes were recorded.
“There’s a lot of work up and down the entire East Coast trying to protect these whales, not only on the calving grounds, but also on the feeding grounds in the northern portion of the North Atlantic Ocean, where they’re going for their feeding seasons,” she said. “So these animals need to be able to find food and have a good supply of food so they can not only become pregnant, but bring that calf to term.”