Overview
- Observers from the Center for Coastal Studies photographed a lone right whale feeding at the surface about 23 miles east of Boston during a Nov. 19 aerial survey.
- New England Aquarium catalogers matched the Boston images to photos from Donegal Bay, Ireland, taken in July 2024 by comparing distinctive scarring on the whale’s head.
- Scientists say this appears to be the first documented case of a right whale photographed in the eastern North Atlantic later being seen in the western North Atlantic.
- Only about 384 North Atlantic right whales are estimated to remain, underscoring the conservation significance of tracking individual movements.
- Researchers emphasize international cooperation and long-term photo catalogs, noting prior matches of several whales first photographed in North America later seen in European waters.