Researchers in Boston spotted a critically endangered whale off the coast — but soon discovered it was the same one seen near Ireland in 2024.
According to WJAR, researchers at the Center for Coastal Studies were conducting a routine survey when they spotted the whale off the coast of Boston.
"The first sighting of the year is always exciting, but we didn't yet realize just how remarkable this one would turn out to be," CCS researcher Ryan Schosberg said.
That's because the whale, which only has a known population of about 384, was first seen off the coast of Ireland. As WJAR reported, there used to be a European population of the right whale, but whaling likely wiped them out.
This whale didn't match any known right whales. The outlet reported that experts took photos and identified it through the unique scarring on its back, matching it to the one spotted near Ireland.
Unfortunately, right whales face many threats — often as a direct result of human action. Fishing gear entanglement and vessel strikes are two of the most common causes of right whale deaths, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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Additionally, NOAA explained that warming temperatures have altered whales' reproduction and distribution patterns and increased their susceptibility to human-caused threats.
However, the North Atlantic right whale plays a beneficial role in the marine ecosystem. For example, whales consume plankton, and the waste they produce provides the nutrients that plankton need to survive, per the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Plentiful plankton populations can help trap carbon pollution and provide oxygen.
Luckily, many people and organizations have been spotting more and more endangered animals in the wild, often using trail cameras to monitor population health and support rehabilitation efforts. Other animals with recovering populations that have been seen include fishers, gray wolves, and wild jaguars.
In a WPRI Facebook post about the whale's journey, people had a lot to say.
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Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Definitely 👍 "That's a whaley long trip! Hims probably the hungriest giant boy," one commenter wrote.
A second person wrote about the importance of the whale's ocean-spanning trip: "This species is critically endangered. Tracking such a long journey gives us insight into the species as a whole."
"Encounters like this highlight both their resilience and the importance of international cooperation to support their recovery," Dr. Daniel Palacios, the director of the Right Whale Ecology Program at CCS, added in a press release from the New England Aquarium.
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