A critically endangered North Atlantic right whale mother and her calf were spotted in Gloucester Harbor, spending the day in the area and drawing curiosity from observers. “They were here from 10 a.m. til sunset,” Eric Swanson said. Swanson, upon hearing of the rare sighting, launched his drone to capture the moment. “At one point they were probably 20-30 feet from shore, that’s where we swim in the summer,” he said. Concerned the whales might be injured or entangled, Swanson took a closer look. “That would’ve been a big loss, a mother and baby, turned out to be, if they were tangled up,” Swanson said. The North Atlantic right whale is critically endangered, with only about 380 left in the world.With boat strikes being the leading cause of death for the animals, Swanson contacted authorities to ensure the pair’s safety. “I called the Coast Guard, I called NOAA, and the right whale organization. They sent a research vessel to babysit them until they moved on,” he said. The mother whale was identified as Slalom, a 44-year-old who has survived seven entanglements and has not given birth in four years. The New England Aquarium tracks right whale mothers and their migration from the south to the north. This calving season set a record with 23 mother-and-calf pairs, the highest since 2009. Reflecting on the experience, Swanson described the sighting as a special moment. “It was, a real lucky, a wonderful day, one of those things you bump into in life and you sit back and enjoy,” he said.
GLOUCESTER, Mass. —
A critically endangered North Atlantic right whale mother and her calf were spotted in Gloucester Harbor, spending the day in the area and drawing curiosity from observers.
“They were here from 10 a.m. til sunset,” Eric Swanson said.
Swanson, upon hearing of the rare sighting, launched his drone to capture the moment.
“At one point they were probably 20-30 feet from shore, that’s where we swim in the summer,” he said.
Concerned the whales might be injured or entangled, Swanson took a closer look.
“That would’ve been a big loss, a mother and baby, turned out to be, if they were tangled up,” Swanson said.
The North Atlantic right whale is critically endangered, with only about 380 left in the world.
With boat strikes being the leading cause of death for the animals, Swanson contacted authorities to ensure the pair’s safety.
“I called the Coast Guard, I called NOAA, and the right whale organization. They sent a research vessel to babysit them until they moved on,” he said.
The mother whale was identified as Slalom, a 44-year-old who has survived seven entanglements and has not given birth in four years.
The New England Aquarium tracks right whale mothers and their migration from the south to the north.
This calving season set a record with 23 mother-and-calf pairs, the highest since 2009.
Reflecting on the experience, Swanson described the sighting as a special moment.
“It was, a real lucky, a wonderful day, one of those things you bump into in life and you sit back and enjoy,” he said.